


Akuma no Ronpa

by RickyOtaku



Series: Akuma no Riddle/Dangan Ronpa crossover [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, 悪魔のリドル | Akuma no Riddle | Riddle Story of Devil
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Despair Era (Dangan Ronpa), F/F, Gen, Hope vs. Despair, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2018-10-10 15:31:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 58
Words: 171,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10440978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RickyOtaku/pseuds/RickyOtaku
Summary: Ichinose Haru thought that she was ready to face anything that Class Black had planned for her.But she definitely couldn't predict the despair that was waiting for her.ps: The actual story ends at chapter 51. The rest are bonus chapters.





	1. Prologue: Welcome to Myojo Academy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is a crossover between Akuma no Riddle and Danganronpa. I'll use things from both those series, so it's not exactly the characters of AnR in the universe of DR. There will have spoilers for AnR anime and manga, and spoilers for the first game and anime adaptation of DR. You don't need to have see both AnR and DR to understand this story, but you need to at least had seen one. This is my first crossover fanfiction, so I hope you'll like it (or otherwise it would be so despair-inducing for me).
> 
> Warning: Akuma no Riddle is a shojo-ai manga, so there will be probably some yuri subtext, but it won't be the main focus of this story.

Ichinose Haru was standing in front of a huge building. Its impressive height made the young girl feel smaller. It was quite intimidating for her, a normal student, to be on the campus of such a prestigious school as Myojo Academy.

The edifice in front of Haru was the main building of Myojo Academy, where the students had their classes. This academy was a private boarding school that welcomes students of all ages, be it elementary, middle, high school and even university students. In Haru's case, she was in her last year of middle school.

There was one special class in Myojo Academy. It wasn't active each year, but when it does, it's a rather popular conversation topic among the students. This particular class was named Class Black. It was a class of elite students, but no one except those who attend this class really knows why they were considered as elites. Despite that, the Class Black's students were quite popular and even admired by the regular students. Some rumours suggested that they were in fact idols.

But Haru knew the truth. She knew the true purpose of Class Black, and it wasn't as great as people thought. Despite this, the young girl still chose to attempt this class.

But this year, it was different. Class Black had a new purpose, because of an alliance between Myojo Academy and Hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak was one of the most prestigious schools in Japan. This school was known to welcome high school students with great talent, known as "Super High School Level". But, Hope's Peak wanted to expand their research of talents. They wanted to study the potential talents of students who weren't in high school, but were still teenagers.

That is why this year, Class Black will welcome the firsts "Super Middle School Level". Those who had been chosen to attempt this class possessed a skill that could potentially become a talent worthy of Hope's Peak Academy. The goal of the alliance was to observe the evolution of middle school students' talent. From Myojo's side, it could be beneficial for their reputation, while on Hope's Peak side, it was also a scouting to find new talented students.

Which is why Haru was here, on Myojo Academy's campus, in front of the main building. She received an invitation from Myojo to attend Class Black and was given an SMSL title.

But she knew it was just an excuse to lure her here. She wasn't skilled, she was just a normal middle school girl. After all, she knew that Class Black's true purpose hasn't changed in the slightest just because of the alliance with Hope's Peak. But despite that, she didn't refuse the invitation.

" _Whatever they have planned for me, Haru won't give up!_ " the young girl thought with enthusiasm. " _Haru will definitely survive and graduate from Class Black, and befriend all my classmates!_ "

Smiling brightly and with determination, Haru crossed the main entrance door, feeling ready for anything that was waiting for her.

Suddenly, everything became distorted. Haru had a great headache and felt nauseous. Everything she saw was terribly blurry, it was like the world was twisting and spinning. It was only a matter of seconds before everything was engulfing her into darkness…

* * *

The first thing Haru noticed when she woke up was the hardness of the surface she was lying on. There was no way she could be on her bed right now. She was lying on her back, looking at the ceiling. She could tell that it wasn't her bedroom. Then, where was she? The young girl put herself in a sitting position and discovered that she had been lying on a floor.

" _Why did…I fall asleep on the floor?_ "

She suddenly had a violent headache. Haru grabbed her head while the features of her face clenched in pain.

" _No…someone must have knocked me out._ "

Gradually, her headache faded. Haru rose up and ended up in front of a blackboard.

" _Could it be…am I in a classroom?_ "

The young girl turned back and saw that she was indeed in a classroom. But it wasn't the only thing she saw. She noticed that she wasn't alone. Someone was sitting on a chair, their face lying down on a desk. From where Haru was, the person looked like a boy. Their hair was short and blue and they seemed to be wearing a school uniform composed of a white shirt.

" _This person…could it be the one who stunned me? No, he also seems unconscious. He must be in the same situation as me._ "

Worried about the other student's condition, Haru went toward them. When she was next to them, she noticed her mistake. The student was wearing a blue skirt, so there was a high possibility that they were, in fact, a girl. She was also wearing a tie of the same color as her skirt and brown boots.

Haru put her hand on the other girl's shoulder with the intention of shaking it to wake her up, but as soon as she touched her, the other girl's muscles tensed. She grabbed Haru's hand and in just a few seconds, they were both on the floor, with the blue haired girl on top of her.

Haru could have a clear view of the other girl's face. Despite her boyish looks, she was indeed a female, probably around her age, so 15 years old. Her eyes were icy blue and her face didn't show any emotion. Haru didn't know her, but for some reason she couldn't explain, she had a sense of déja vu when looking at the other girl.

The blue-haired girl was pinning Haru on the floor using one hand that was pressing on her collarbone. With her other hand, the boyish girl was searching in her own skirt's pocket. An annoyed look appeared on her face, like she didn't find what she was looking for.

"You…why did you bring me here?" The blue-haired girl asked calmly but with a sharp tone of voice.

"It's not like that! Haru woke up here, just like you. We're in the same situation…"

"Don't try to lie to me. Your footsteps woke me up when you approached me. You were trying to do something to me when I was unconscious. I felt you touching me…"

"It's a misunderstanding! Haru was just trying to see if you were alright, I swear! Haru would never try to hurt someone, I was just worried for you. So please, let me go."

The blue-haired girl remained quiet. She gazed intensely at Haru and her eyes looked over all of her body, like she was analyzing it. The boyish girl suddenly sniffed the air, before releasing her. She then rose up.

"You don't look dangerous or strong, and you don't have a bad scent. So I'll take your words for the truth, for the moment." The blue haired girl said.

Haru wondered how the way she smelled was relevant, but she didn't dare to ask. She rose up too, standing in front of the other girl. They were almost the same height, but Haru was smaller by one or two centimeters.

"Is that how you greet everyone? By jumping on them?" Haru asked.

"Just those who try to touch me without my permission."

"Like I said, I was just…ah, never mind. So, are you a student here?"

"Student? Here? I don't think so…first, where are we?"

"Myojo Academy, I think. Tell me, are you…related to Class Black?"

The blue-haired girl became silent. Haru could see that she was now on her guard. She didn't look hostile, but she was certainly on the defensive.

"So, I guess you too are supposed to attend Class Black."

"So you are too!? That means…we are classmates!" Haru said cheerfully. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

"Ah, you're right! My name is Ichinose Haru, and I was invited to Class Black as the Super Middle School Level Lucky Student!"

The boyish girl remained thoughtful for a moment, like she had some difficulties to assimilate what Haru said.

"Lucky Student? What kind of talent is it? I don't understand how luck could be considered as a skill. How could you be chosen for this title?"

"Ah, I'm not sure. There wasn't any explanation about this in my invitation. Haru also thinks it's weird to consider luck as a talent, especially since I'm not particularly lucky…I know that at Hope's Peak Academy, the Super High School Level Lucky Student is chosen with a lottery, so maybe it's the same thing with Haru."

The blue-haired girl didn't say anything. She remained silent, which bothered Haru.

"Haru introduced herself, so it's your turn now."

The other girl sighed.

"Azuma Tokaku."

"And you're the SMSL…?"

Azuma looked away, with a hesitating look on her face. Her expression suddenly became annoyed and she glanced at Haru.

"It's none of your business." The blue-haired girl replied.

Haru could have been offended by her response, but she wasn't. She was sure that Azuma had a reason to refuse to tell her SMSL title. Haru couldn't be mad at someone who wanted to keep a secret, because she herself, was a person with many secrets.

"If you don't want to tell Haru, it's fine. I won't insist. Can I call you Tokaku?"

"No. Call me Azuma."

Haru didn't like to call someone by their family name. It felt too distant, especially with her classmates.

"What about Tokaku…san?" She proposed.

Azuma gazed at her with an emotionless expression, before sighing.

"Do as you like."

Haru smiled, delighted to have found a compromise.

"So, Tokaku-san, do you want to go to explore the school with Haru?"

"Not really. I'll go investigating, if you want to follow me, I won't stop you."

Without saying more, the blue-haired girl left the classroom.

"Hey, that's so mean, Tokaku-san! Wait for me!"

When she was about to cross the door, Haru turned back and looked at the classroom. For some reason, this room seemed familiar to her. But she didn't find it strange. After all, it wasn't the first time she was in a classroom; it wasn't a big coincidence if this one looked like a classroom she already saw.

" _Whatever this situation is about, Haru won't die here. Haru will survive and graduate from Class Black._ " she thought while rushing toward Tokaku.


	2. Prologue: Meet the SMSL

While wandering into the school, Haru discovered something strange and kind of worrisome. All the windows were barricaded with metal plaques. It was impossible to open or break them; the metal was too solid.

"Looks like we are trapped, whoever abducted us doesn't want us to leave." Haru said.

"Like I care. We just have to find the exit and leave." Tokaku replied.

"If our abductor took the time to barricade so meticulously the windows, I doubt that there's an exit…"

"We didn't come inside from nowhere. If there's an entrance, then it can also be an exit."

"What if this exit is also barricaded?"

Tokaku didn't answer. She continued to walk, looking around her. The blue haired girl suddenly stopped in front of a door. She grabbed the handle and went inside, while Haru followed her.

It was a storage room, and there weren't only objects there. Two girls were inside too. One of them was an elegant looking girl, with long light orange hair and blue eyes. The other had long silver hair tied in a ponytail and purple eyes. Haru noticed that she had a scar over her left eye.

"W-Who are you?" The silver-haired girl asked with a frightened look. "Are you the one…who kidnapped us?"

"No, we were abducted too." Haru answered. "Are you…Class Black's students?"

"I did come here with the intention of joining Class Black, but when I was about to cross the main entrance, everything became dark and I lost consciousness." the elegant girl replied.

"M-Me too…"

"Ah, so we are classmates! My name is Ichinose Haru, and I'm the SMSL Lucky Student. Nice to meet you!"

The orange haired girl looked at her with intensity, before showing a gracious smile.

"Oh my, you're quite cheerful despite the situation, I'm impressed. My name is Hanabusa Sumireko and I received the title of Super Middle School Level Lady. I'm also pleased to meet you, Ichinose-san."

Haru wasn't surprised by her title. Hanabusa looked so elegant and sophisticated, she definitely had the "oujo-sama" vibe.

"A-And I'm…Banba Mahiru, the Super Middle School Level Seamstress."

Haru looked at Banba. For someone that had a title that evoked fashion, Banba didn't look really fashionable. Her socks were mismatched: one was white and short, while the other one was black and long.

"Haru can understand how sewing can be a talent, but…Haru doesn't want to sound rude, but how being a lady is a talent? Don't get me wrong, you definitely look like a lady!"

"I see, the name 'Hanabusa' doesn't seem to ring any bells with you. I'm the daughter of a company CEO. My father is the one who runs the Hanabusa Financial Clique. According to the

invitation Myojo sent me, I was chosen as the SMSL Lady because of my impeccable reputation. They said that my modesty, my good image, and my cultured side was pretty rare among the young girls from rich families; that I was the ideal 'lady'." Sumireko answered, before smiling mysteriously. "I wonder more how luck can be considered a talent, to be honest."

"Haru must admit that she also doesn't understand how being lucky is a talent." Haru replied with an embarrassed smile. "I was probably chosen by a lottery or something similar. Though, I'm not sure if I really deserve this title…"

Hanabusa didn't reply anything to this.

"And you, who are you?" the lady asked to Tokaku.

"Azuma Tokaku. It's all you need to know about me." the blue-haired girl said. "I suppose you don't know either where the exit is?"

"Oh my, if I knew such a thing, I would have already escaped from here." Hanabusa answered.

"So that means…there's no way to get out!?" Banba shouted with panic.

"No need to worry. I don't think our abductor would have bothered to barricade the way to go out if their only goal is to kill us." Sumireko said.

"I-It's always worse…when our captor doesn't intend to kill us…" the silver haired girl replied with a gloomy look.

"In any case, we should work together and try to find some clues as to why we are here." Haru said.

"Or just try to find the exit." Tokaku added.

"I agree with you. We should split up to search more fruitfully." Hanabusa proposed. "Banba-san, would you like to come with me?"

"Ah, uh…"

She didn't even let the silver-haired girl answer; she just grabbed her hand and left the storage room.

"We should also continue to investigate the school."

"And find more classmates!" Haru added cheerfully.

"You…don't have your priorities straight."

Haru giggled awkwardly, while the blue-haired girl exited the room. The lucky student followed her and they both continued to investigate. The next room they visited was an auditorium. Haru spotted two girls on the stage that seemed to argue together.

"Like I said, it's a misunderstanding…" tried to explain a girl with long purple hair tied in a ponytail.

"How could it be a misunderstanding!" shouted a girl with brown hair tied into two pigtails and glasses. "When I woke up you were on top of me, glaring at me…"

"I was just trying to check if you were ok since you were still unconscious."

"Then why were you pointing a pair of scissors at my neck!?"

"Ok, first of all, it wasn't at your neck, but at one of your pigtails. And secondly, it was to protect myself. I couldn't be sure if you were a dangerous person or not."

"You're clearly the dangerous one here! I'm sure you're the one who kidnapped me, you creep! Bully!"

Immediately, Haru rushed toward the stage and went between the two girls.

"No fighting between classmates!" Haru reprimanded. "I suppose you're Class Black's students too, right? Then, we should get along and be friends rather than argue!"

"Huh, classmates? Wait, you're also…" tried to say the girl with pigtails.

The purple haired girl suddenly grabbed Haru's hands and approached her face with hers.

"Ah, what a cutie you are! Of course I want to be your friend! What's your name?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"Too close…" Haru thought. "I…I'm Ichinose Haru, the SMSL Lucky Student."

"Lucky you said? I feel like I'm the lucky one since I met you!"

Haru couldn't help herself from blushing a little bit.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Takechi Otoya, and I'm the Super Middle School Level Florist. Nice to meet you, Haru-chi!"

"Oh, that must be why you have a pair of scissors on you!" Haru said.

"Well of course! You never know when you'll find a pretty flower to cut."

Suddenly, Tokaku went to the stage and approached Takechi.

"Those scissors…were there when you woke up?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"Huh? No, they weren't…which surprised me. I found them in the Sewing Club's room. After that, I found Nerdy over there unconscious on the stage…why do you ask?"

"Hey, who do you call Nerdy!? Is that bullying?"

"I see, so I wasn't the only one who woke up without a weapon." Tokaku replied.

"Huh, weapon? Why would Tokaku-san have a weapon? And Haru also doesn't have a weapon! I never had one in the first place."

The blue haired girl didn't answer. Haru decided to give up and went to the one Takechi called "Nerdy".

"And you? What's your name?" Haru asked while smiling amicably.

"Kenmochi Shiena, and I'm known as the Super Middle School Level Hacker."

"Ah, so you're good with computers! It suits you."

"What do you mean by that? That I look like a nerd? Are you also trying to bully me, Ichinose?"

"Of course not! It's just…how can I say it…you have the look of someone who likes informatic stuff."

"So a nerdish look…"

"It's not an insult you know. Aren't nerds studious people?" Haru said to try to appease the situation.

"In my opinion, you look more like a geek or an otaku, Shiena-chan!" Takechi said cheerfully.

"S-Shut up, I'm not! I'm just someone who's good with informatics and likes to be alone, ok!? And don't call me so familiarly! I do like computers and I'm good with hacking, but it's not what I want to do for a living. I didn't come here to be accepted as the SMSL Hacker, but to change my talent and become a dramatist!"

"Ah, so you like theater?" Haru asked with interest.

Kenmochi began to blush from embarrassment, like she regretted what she admitted.

"Huh…yes. It's a passion for me. I accepted to participate in Class Black because…I hoped that Hope's Peak Academy would notice my skill as a dramatist and acknowledge it as a talent. I want to graduate Class Black and be accepted at Hope's Peak as the Super High School Level Dramatist."

Haru was surprised by Shiena's confession. She thought that this SMSL thing was only an excuse to hide the true purpose of Class Black, but it seemed to be the real deal. She hoped that maybe, this year's Class Black wouldn't be what she thought it would be about. But, with the barricaded windows, it didn't seem like it would be a peaceful Class Black either.

Takechi suddenly put her hands on Haru and Shiena's shoulders and gave them a friendly wink.

"It was nice to meet two of my cute classmates, but now I need to find more of them. See you later!" Otoya said before leaving the auditorium.

"Hey, Takechi! Don't go bullying our classmates! Come back here!"

After saying those words, Shiena exited too the auditorium, running after the florist.

"They seemed nice…I guess?"

"I'm not sure about Kenmochi, but Takechi definitely stinks." Tokaku said.

"Huh, she smelled bad?"

"Not in that way. It's my instinct. I just don't like her, she doesn't seem like someone of trust."

"Tokaku-san, that's not something you should say about your classmate. Haru thinks that Takechi-san looked friendly and nice!"

"Then you're more naïve and stupid that I thought, Ichinose."

Without saying more, the blue-haired girl left the room. Worried about having offended her, Haru left the auditorium too and went back to Tokaku. They walked together in the corridor for a couple of seconds, before hearing someone calling them.

"Hey, you two! Do you know where we are?" a female voice asked.

Haru turned back and discovered a tall woman with short red hair. She had a mature and adult appearance and she almost looked like a female prince. She was holding hands with a short girl with light blue hair, who looked like an innocent child.

"We're…at Myojo Academy, I think." Haru replied.

"So perhaps…you're also here because of Class Black?" The red-haired girl asked.

Haru was surprised. She almost thought that this woman was a university student.

"Me too…I'm here because I received an invitation from Myojo Academy to be a part of Class Black." The short girl added.

Haru was even more surprised. She was convinced that this girl was an elementary school student. The prince-looking girl also seemed surprised by this revelation. She even dropped the small girl's hand.

"I'm Ichinose Haru, the SMSL Lucky Student. What about you?"

"Namatame Chitaru. I was chosen as the Super Middle School Level Fencer."

"My name's Kirigaya Hitsugi, and I'm known as the Super Middle School Level Toxicologist."

Chitaru gave a suspicious glance at Kirigaya.

"Toxicologist? Do you mean…that you make poison?" Namatame asked.

"Not really. Toxicology is the science that studies the noxious effect of toxic substances on biologic organisms. Usually, it's to find a way to prevent those harmful effects and to work on antidotes." Hitsugi answered.

The fencer continued to be a little distrustful, but she also seemed quite reassured by the shorter girl's explanation.

"Do you…know each other? Haru suddenly asked.

"No, we met a couple of minutes ago." Hitsugi replied.

"Then why…" Haru wanted to ask, but she stopped talking.

"Why were you holding hands?" Tokaku asked.

"Tokaku-san!"

"What? It's what you wanted to ask, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"I saw Kirigaya wandering alone, and I was worried about such a small girl being lost. But I must admit that I'm also lost. So, I wasn't really helpful, sorry." Chitaru added.

Hitsugi slowly approached the taller girl and delicately grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry, Namatame-san. It is the intention that counts. I'm thankful for you to have tried to help me!" Kirigaya said with a bright smile.

"I…I didn't do anything that was worth of thanking, really…" Chitaru replied with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"So, how about we keep looking to find the exit together, since we're both lost?" Hitsugi proposed.

Completely ignoring Haru and Tokaku's presence, the child-looking girl pulled Chitaru along with her and they both left the area.

"Well, they seem to get along pretty well." Haru commented.

"Hum, maybe. But I don't trust the small one."

"Tokaku-san, if you act like that you won't get along with your classmates!"

"Because I don't want to…?"

Haru sighed. It was really a lost cause.

"Don't forget that we were abducted by an unknown person. You can't be too trustful with the people we met here. One of them could be our abductor."

"It's still not a reason to be mean with our classmates, especially if they are in the same situation as us! And Haru doesn't want to doubt them. After all, I can't be friends with all my classmates if I don't trust them…"

It was Tokaku's turn to sigh with disbelieve. The blue-haired girl remained quiet and continued to walk. Haru followed her, until Tokaku stopped in front of a door, which had a female restroom symbol on it.

"You know, you don't need to be shy. If you want to go to the bathroom, then go."

"It's not that. I heard noise coming from there." Tokaku explained while grabbing the handle.

"Huh? What kind of noise? Wait! Be more sensitive! If it's the kind of noise I think, you shouldn't…"

But the blue-haired girl didn't listen to her. She opened the door and went inside the girl's restroom, followed by Haru.

"Oh, looks like we aren't alone."

The person who said that was a rather short girl with short light blue hair and golden eyes. Beside her, there was a girl slightly taller than her, with long black hair tied into twin pigtails. While the golden eyed girl showed them a polite smile, the black-haired girl gave them a serious gaze.

"Are you somewhat related to our abduction?" the black-haired girl asked.

"No, we were also abducted. You must be Class Black's students too, right? I'm one of your classmates, Ichinose Haru, the SMSL Lucky Student!"

The light blue haired girl suddenly approached her, smiling in a way that seemed sly.

"Lucky Student you said? I'm curious to know how you earned this title. Are you perhaps an expert in analyzing probabilities?"

"Ah, no…I think I was chosen because I won a lottery." Haru replied with a nervous laugh.

"I see, you're considered lucky because you won despite the low odds of winning. Interesting."

"Luck isn't a real concept, it's merely a mix of coincidences and favorable conditions." the black-haired girl said with severity. "You should rely on hard work and effort rather than luck if you want to succeed in life."

"I…suppose you're right…"

"No need to be too harsh on her. I do think that luck is an interesting concept, and far more complex that we think. I do rely on luck sometimes, even if in my case, it's more about the probabilities. I should specify that I'm known as the Super Middle School Level Gamester. Oh, I didn't even tell you my name. I'm Shuto Suzu, nice to meet you."

"And I'm Kaminaga Kouko, the Super Middle School Level Leader. Don't hesitate to ask my help for anything." She said while adjusting her glasses.

"The leader of what?" Tokaku asked.

"The leader of everything!" Kouko replied without hesitation.

Even if she was kind of bossy, Haru found that Kaminaga also seemed reliable and studious.

"Kouko-chan is amazing, isn't she? It must be great to be young and spirited." Suzu said with an admiring smile.

"Aren't you the same age as us, Shuto?" Kouko asked.

Suzu didn't answer, she was only showing an enigmatic smile.

"You're a gamester, right? What is it? Isn't similar to a gamer or a gambler?" Haru asked.

"Hum, yes and no. A gamer is more someone who plays video games and a gambler is more someone who plays with the odds of losing or winning something. In my case, I'm more into board games, my favorite one is shogi, but I also enjoy cards games. I usually play for fun."

For some unknown reason, Suzu had a really strange way to talk. The way she spoke made her sound kind of like an old person. Despite her young appearance, Shuto had a wise and mature vibe.

"What were you doing in the restroom?" Tokaku asked.

"Investigation to find clues, which we should continue to do. Both of you, go on your way to search for an exit, while I do the same with Shuto." Kouko said in a way that sounded more like an order than a request.

"I'm sure there are a lot more restrooms that we could investigate together, Kouko-chan. Let's go!"

It was only a matter of time before Suzu and Kouko were out of the restroom. Haru gave a confused look to Tokaku.

"Finding an exit…in a restroom?"

"Maybe they are searching for some kind of secret passage." Tokaku proposed.

"In any case, they seem…interesting?"

"They looked quite smart. We should stay on our guard with them."

"Tokaku-san…"

The blue haired girl exited the restroom, while Haru did the same. As soon as they were in the corridor, a small blond-haired girl rushed toward them and stopped, exhausted.

"Both of you…you need…to go…to the gymnasium…now!" The blond girl said while panting.

"Why? And who are you? Isn't that…you're wearing a Myojo's school uniform?" Tokaku replied with hostility.

"I'm…Hashiri Nio. I'm a student at Myojo Academy. When I woke up, I found a note on me, asking me to bring everyone in the gymnasium."

"So you're an ally of our abductor!" the blue haired girl accused.

"What? No! I'm just a normal student, and I was abducted too. I'm just doing what I was asked." Nio replied. "Ah, I should go. I've other people to find, see you later!"

Without saying more, Hashiri ran away. Tokaku tried to pursue her, but Haru stopped her.

"She's definitely suspicious; I don't trust her!"

"Being a Myojo student doesn't mean that she's related to our abduction!" Haru protested. "We should give her the benefit of the doubt and go to the gymnasium."

"What? It's clearly a trap!"

"Maybe, but what else can we do? We still don't know our abductor's intentions, so Haru thinks it's in our best interest to do what they want, for our safety. And, if they wanted to kill us, they would have done it when we were unconscious."

Tokaku showed her a disapproving gaze, but she didn't argue any further.

"Let's find the gymnasium. If we're lucky our abductor will be there and we could take care of them."

It took them some time to finally find the gymnasium. There were only two other people in there when they arrived. They were both tall girls, one with long and pretty pink hair, wearing a revealing outfit that didn't really look like a school uniform, and the other girl had long, messy red hair and looked like a fashionable tomboy.

"Oy, new people! Were you also abducted?" the redhead asked with a laid-back attitude.

"Yes, we were! I'm Ichinose Haru, the SMSL Lucky Student? And you?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"The name's Sagae Haruki, and I'm the Super Middle School Level Street Fighter. Nice to meet you!" the redhead replied amicably.

"Street Fighter? What is this?" Haru asked.

"The name is quite obviously evoking. I'm someone who fights in the street. I used to earn some money doing this. I earned my title by beating too many people." Haruki said with an energetic smile.

Even though Sagae seemed pretty friendly, according to with what she said, she could also be quite aggressive. Despite that, Haru felt at ease while speaking with her.

"It must be an elaborate prank, and Isuke doesn't find it funny. Whoever has dared to do this pathetic joke will die by Isuke's hands!" the pink haired girl said with displeasure.

"No need to be so violent, Isuke-sama." Haruki said.

"Isuke-sama?" Haru questioned.

"Yeah, she wants to be called like that, so I just roll with it." the redhead replied with an amused smile.

Haru looked at Isuke with curiosity. The pink haired girl gazed at her with a condescending look.

"What business do you have with Isuke?" she asked with a smile that seemed forced.

"Ah, nothing! I just…want to know who you are." Haru replied nervously.

"If it's just that, then I'll give you the honor to know my identity. I'm Inukai Isuke, the Super Middle School Level Kick-boxer."

"Wow, Kick-boxer! Have you won many competitions?" Haru asked with interest.

"No. Isuke is herself quite surprised to have earned this title. My mama taught me how to fight, but that's it. Oh yeah, one day he brought me to some professional kick-boxer to train me. I beat him quite easily. It must be why Myojo gave me this title. Or it's just because Isuke's good at kicking people's asses."

"Oh, I see…wait, your mama? he?"

Before Haru could ask more questions, a lot of people flocked inside the gymnasium. She recognized all her classmates that she met earlier.

"Hey you, you're in league with our abductor aren't you!?" Isuke accused.

"No, I'm not! Why everyone thinks that?" Nio protested.

"Maybe it's because you're wearing a Myojo's uniform?" Suzu proposed.

"Yes, I'm a student here, so what? It's not like we can be sure that Myojo is behind all of this!"

"She's right, it's too easy to accuse her without actual proof. We shouldn't believe things just based on assumptions." Kouko said.

The situation seemed to calm a little bit. Haru was kind of worried that a fight would start.

"…can you hear me?" asked a childish yet nasty voice.

Haru blenched. She turned back and discovered that there was now a big screen on one of the gymnasium's wall. The screen glitched a little, before a figure appeared. It was a person whose gender wasn't clear, wearing a strange black and white hoodie with the shape of a bear. The mysterious individual was also wearing a particular black mask that covered only the left side of their face. The eye on it was a red vertical stripe and the evil smile on the mask gave the impression that they were smirking. The shadow created by the hoodie hid the rest of their face, except their mouth.

"Can you see me now? Good! Upupu, let me introduce myself. My name's Monokuma, the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, and this year I have the honor to be the one who will sponsor Class Black."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Class Black with Monokuma, it can't be good! Maybe this time, people will actually die? Hum... (and why he's not a teddy bear?)
> 
> So everyone have been introduce. It's possible that some of them act differently than in the original manga. It's not because I want to make them OOC, but because the context is different from the original story. So keep that in mind for the next chapters.


	3. Prologue: Apparition of the headmaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so motivated to write this story! I always wanted to do a crossover between AnR and DR, so I'm pretty hyped. I'll try hard to meet up your expectations!

Haru gaze at the enigmatic individual on the screen with stupefaction. She knew that something was going to happen in Class Black, but she couldn't predict that it would be such a strange and suspicious person that would be in charge of the event.

"Are you really…the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy?" Kouko asked with disbelief.

"What the fuck with that annoying voice!?" Isuke shouted.

"It probably a voice modifier, Isuke-sama." Haruki replied.

"Yeah, whatever. The costume is lame." Inukai added. "It's definitely some bad prank."

"Hey, my voice is gorgeous, you're just jealous! And it's not a prank, I'm really Hope's Peak's headmaster! Ok, not officially, but I'll be! Probably." Monokuma replied.

Haru began to be worried. This Monokuma didn't give her a good feeling at all. She had the impression that this year's Class Black will be worse than what she initially thought.

"I wonder why it's the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy who's in charge of Class Black rather than the one of Myojo's? It doesn't seem logical, since Class Black take place at Myojo Academy, or it's not the case this time?" Suzu commented with a slight smile.

"You are without any doubt in Myojo Academy. But like you probably already know, this year's Class Black is special. It's a collaboration between Hope's Peak and Myojo to test the first Super Middle School Level students. So it's normal that Hope's Peak Academy is directly involved into Class Black." Monokuma answered. "So since I'm in charge of your class, you're all now my students. Please treat me well!"

Kouko suddenly raised her hand.

"Now that we confirmed that you're the one in charge of Class Black we can discuss another important subject. The class representative. I would like to propose myself to be the leader of the committee for this class. Since I'm the SMSL Leader, I'm the one who's the more fitted for this role. Those with complaints just say so, I challenge you!" the black haired girl said with determination.

No one dared to say something. It was probably not because they didn't want to challenge Kaminaga, but more because they were more confused by her behaviour to talk.

"Since there isn't any contestation, I guess that yes, you can be the class rep." Monokuma replied.

"Kouko-chan is so cool!" Suzu said with admiration.

"Hey, are you a boy or a girl?" Haruki suddenly asked.

"Are you trying to assume my gender? Because I identify as a male bear, so please respect it and refer to me with the correct pronouns."

Suddenly, it was Nio turned to raise her hand.

"Excuse me mister Monokuma, but I think that you had maybe made a mistake. You see, I don't have a SMSL title, I'm just a regular student at Myojo. So why am I here…?" Hashiri said.

"Oh yeah, you. I thought that only twelve students was not enough for what've plan for Class Black, so I choose a random student to have thirteen people. Let just say that you were the unlucky one among the regular Myojo's students."

Haru found something fishy about this statement. Why she was herself considered to be the lucky student because she had been chosen to be in Class Black while Nio was considered the unlucky one?

"So that means…that I'm the SMSL Unlucky Student?" Nio asked with a wide smile and sparkles in her eyes.

"No. You weren't chose by luck, I just saw you in the corridor one day and decided randomly to choose you. Giving you this type of title would be giving you too much credit for the trash you are." Monokuma replied.

Hashiri looked hurt for a couple of second. But it was only a matter of time before a malicious grin appeared on her face. Haru couldn't tell if she was happy or angry.

"So can I be the Super Middle School Level Trash?" Nio asked.

"If you really insist, yes. It's a fitting title for you." Monokuma accepted.

Haru wasn't sure if it was a good thing that Nio insisted to have this kind of title. But at least, she could now understand the distinction between her luckiness and Hashiri's unluckiness. If Haru was chosen by some kind of lottery, it was normal to be considered by luck, while Nio was only picked randomly.

But it didn't really matter. Haru already knew that her title was just for show, that it was impossible for her to be in Class Black by luck.

"What is wrong with you people?! You've got your priorities all wrong! We have been kidnap and trap here, how can you be so calm!?" Shiena shouted with frustration. "Monokuma! What is this all about? Why did you abduct us? Why did you barricade all the windows? What's your goal? What's the plan you were talking about?!"

Everyone stopped talking. An uncomfortable silence took place into the gymnasium. Monokuma suddenly cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Ah, I forgot that! I should have started with that. I'm here to supervise the Class Black's killing game! You're all going to kill each other!"

Another silence settled into the gymnasium. But this time, it wasn't a silence of discomfort, but of dismay.

Haru clenched her fists with desperation. She hoped so much that it wouldn't be like that this year, but it seemed that it was impossible. This year's Class Black will also be a killing game after all. She couldn't feel anything else than despair, but she considered that it was her fault for having such hope in the first place.

"Killing each other you said? And why would we do that?" Sumireko asked calmly.

"Yeah, we have no reason to do such a thing!" Otoya added.

"Oh, it's a reason you need? Very well, I'll give you a good reason to commit murder. If you don't kill someone, you'll stay trap into this school for the rest of your life!" Monokuma replied with a devilish smile that was accentuated by the one on his mask.

"Staying here…for the rest of our life…trapped?" Mahiru muttered with a panicked look.

"Myojo Academy is more twisted than I thought." Shiena whispered.

"Don't fuck with me! There's no way Isuke would stay here for the rest of her life trapped into this shady school!"

"Isuke-sama, if you say that, you'll be the first suspected if a murder occurs." Haruki said.

Haru quickly observed her classmates. For the majority of them, they were abnormally calm and collected despite the gravity of the situation. She suddenly noticed that someone was also observing her. She discretely turned back and discovered that it was Tokaku who was gazing her. Even if the blue haired girl seemed calm, Haru could see her confused look, and even noticed that one of her hands was shaking.

" _Tokaku-san…is she afraid_?" Haru thought.

On a whim, she approached from Tokaku and delicately grabbed her shaky hand. She couldn't explain why, but she felt the need to comfort the blue haired girl. Tokaku slightly blenched from this sudden physical contact, but she didn't protest. When her hand stopped shaking, Haru released it, but she stayed near Tokaku.

"So if I get it right, it will be a game, right?" Suzu questioned.

"It's call a killing _game_ , so yes." Monokuma answered.

Despite her serein expression, the gamester had a glimmer of interest in her golden eyes. Her smile even seemed to be crafty.

"I see. So if it's a game, than there must have rules. If you explain them, maybe we could adhere to your game. Because now, we lack information to fully understand this game and it's too disadvantageous to us players." Shuto added.

"I'm also interested to know if there are rules to respect." Kouko said.

Haru wondered what was wrong with them. They have been abducted, locked inside the school, and they just learned that the purpose is to participate into a killing game, and the only thing that seemed to interest them is the rules. She immediately drove this negative thought from her mind. Haru didn't want to have bad thought about her classmates. After all, she knew that this killing game wasn't their fault and she's well aware of the true purpose of all of this.

"Oh yes, the rules. I almost forgot them." Monokuma began to say. "So, rule #1: Nighttime is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas could ne lock during night. Rule #2: You're not allowed to sleep anywhere else than in the dormitory. Rule #3: With minimal restrictions, you're allowed to explore Myojo Academy. Rule #4: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes blackened will graduate, unless they are discovered. Rule #5: Additional school regulations may be added if necessary. This is all you the participants are allowed to know for the moment. "

"Wait! The dormitory you said? But it's in another building, how are we supposed to have access to it?" Nio asked.

"Don't worry about that. Dormitories have been developed inside of the main building for the purpose of this game." Monokuma replied.

"And if no murder occurs, we'll spend the rest of our life here, right? So, do we have the necessary resources to live that long into this school?" Sumireko asked.

"Of course! You have enough foods, water, and a place to sleep. The only thing you lack is freedom." Monokuma answered. "So, this is all I'm willing to reveal to you for the moment. I'll let you some time to process your current situation and explore the school. After that, don't hesitate to cheerfully kill each other. It would make me proud of you, my dear students."

The screen suddenly shut down and Monokuma's figure disappeared.

"So, anyone feel like killing someone right now?" Haruki asked.

"Of course not! There's no way I'll participate in such a barbaric game, and no one should. We're all human beings, we should know that's killing is wrong no matter the reason!" Chitaru shouted with frustration.

"Killing is only considered wrong because of the law. I don't think that the law really matter into our situation." Sumireko began to say. "I do agree that it's not logic to kill for no reason, but if it's for the sake of surviving, killing is natural. We shouldn't forget that us, humans, are technically animals. Surviving is the base of living. But, it's easier to survive by collaborating with those who share the same environment as us. If we have a non-aggression pact, we shouldn't feel afraid for our life and hence, we shouldn't feel the need to kill in order to survive."

"Personally, Isuke doesn't have a problem with killing. It's just…that all of this sounds too fishy. We don't even know what will happen if we killed and if we are discovered. And what's the meaning of graduate? Does it really mean that we will be allowed to leave this place?"

"In a certain way, you're all right." Suzu commented. "Killing for no reason is illogical, but killing for surviving is natural. As a games' specialist, I can say that this killing game as many flaws. First, we don't know the consequences of losing. Secondly, we also aren't sure of what would happen if we win. And finally, the last rule is unfair for us. Monokuma can add rules whenever he wants, which is at our disadvantage. A real game is supposed to be immutable from the moment it starts. Adding rules in the middle of a game is completely unfair and thus, as a gamester, I can't take part in this game and I highly suggest you to do the same."

"I understand your point, but you underestimate the humans' will to survive." Otoya replied. "A non-aggression pact is only an unofficial agreement. Nothing forces us to respect it. The fear for our life is stronger than any kind of promise. There just need to be one person who's scared for their life for a murder to occur."

"Indeed, a non-aggression pact is not enough to stop us from killing." Shuto replied. "Only another fear can make us respect the pact. The fear of a punishment if we break it. In this case, we could consider our unknown fate if we lose as the punishment. Or, we could give all the power to one individual and let this person take all the decision, and also give them the right to punish those who don't respect the pact."

Without any surprise, Kouko suddenly raised her hand.

"As the class rep and the SMSL Leader, I would gladly take care of this duty." the black haired girl said with firmness.

"Kouko-chan, you're so reliable!" Suzu exclaimed with admiration.

No one contest Kaminaga's takeover. Everyone seemed in fact to accept to let Kouko have all the power. Haru felt that the SMSL Leader was someone of trust, but she couldn't understand why she was convinced of this.

"Now that we reached an agreement, how about we get along and explore the school together?" Nio proposed cheerfully.

"Oy, how can you be so happy? You're clearly an ally of this Monokuma freak!" Isuke shouted.

"Again with the unjustified accusation!? Geez, it's become redundant." the blonde girl said with an irritated voice, before grinning. "Like you said, it's probably just a tasteless prank. And even if it wasn't a joke, there's no need to kill each other. We can perfectly live here for a moment and wait for help, because yes, someone will notice that we were abducted and come to our help. We just need to be patient and enjoy the present moment. So, I can make you visit the school…"

"You can't. I'm the class rep, so I should be the one who do that."

"But Kaminaga-kaichô*, it's the first time you come to Myojo Academy, right? I'm a student here since many years, so I think I'm more fit to do this."

"Well then, I choose you to be part of the class committee. For now you'll be my assistant. So as the class rep, I ask you to make us visit the school, Hashiri."

"Roger!" Nio replied standing at attention.

The self-proclaimed SMSL Trash exited the gymnasium, followed by Kouko and the others Class Black's students. Haru remained in place, hesitating and confused. It wasn't what she expected. This situation felt weird to her, like something was wrong. She had difficulties to believe that this killing game was truly Class Black's purpose. But, it wasn't important, she still had the intention to survive no matter what.

"Ichinose?"

Haru raised her head and discovered Tokaku, who was looking at her with what seemed to be concern.

"Haru's coming, Tokaku-san!"

Haru realised an important detail. There weren't a specific target to kill. So it's meant her life wasn't more in danger than anyone else's. It should than be easier to be friend with everyone. Knowing that, she felt that maybe, this situation wasn't so bad, and that she could believe in everyone and have…hope?

" _No, it's not hope._ " she thought. " _It's faith. Haru wants to have faith in all her classmates!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kaichô means class president.
> 
> Poor Nio, she's basically the reserve course student of this killing game (Or since she's the only one with an ahoge, she'll become the true protagonist?). I remember in the AnR manga, Tokaku called her trash and Nio proudly said "I'm trash!" and I thought "Yes, you are". This is why it's her "title".
> 
> I'm so inspired. I can't wait to do the first investigation and trial!
> 
> Fun facts: Hanabusa Sumireko and Sonia Nevermind have the same seiyuu (Arakawa Miho) and it fill me with pure happiness. Also, there have two characters from AnR and DR that share the same name: Banba Mahiru and Koizumi Mahiru.


	4. Chapter 1: The first motive

The first week of their imprisonment in Myojo Academy went surprisingly pretty well. It didn’t really feel like they were participating in a killing game. The Class Black’s students even began to get along together. The current situation made Haru believe that maybe, all of this won’t finish in a bloodbath and that she could really become friends with everyone.

“Tokaku-san, curry again?” Haru said with amusement.

“My eating habits are none of your concern.” the blue-haired girl replied stoically while taking a bit of her lunch.

They were both at Myojo’s cafeteria, and everyone else from Class Black was also there. Near them, at another table, were Chitaru and Hitsugi, chatting merrily together. Behind them, there was Mahiru who at first tried to eat alone, but she couldn’t do anything against Sumireko’s insistence to eat with her. Kouko and Suzu were eating together, or rather, the class rep was having her lunch in front of a girl who seemed to be more interested in watching her than eating her own lunch. Shiena was desperately trying to avoid Otoya’s attempts at having her attention, while Isuke was bossing around Haruki.

“Hey, can I sit with you?” Nio asked with a smile that reminded Haru of a cat's.

Tokaku completely ignored her, continuing to eat her curry.

“Of course you can, Nio-san.” Haru replied.

“Please, just call me Nio; no need to be formal with me.” The blonde girl said while she sat next to Haru.

“Then, you can also call Haru by her first name.”

Nio's lunch consisted of a single melon bread.

“You sure do like melon bread.” Haru commented.

“Of course I love it! Melon bread is Myojo’s specialty after all!” the blonde girl answered cheerfully. ”Azuma-san, I see that you’re a curry lover.”

The blue-haired girl didn’t reply anything. Despite her silence, Haru could see that Tokaku was annoyed by the blonde girl’s presence. Suddenly, Nio grinned in a malicious way.

“Hey Azuma-san, if there was suddenly no more curry here, would it be a good motive for you to commit murder?”

Tokaku stopped eating and raised her head, gazing furiously at Nio.

“Shut up, you trash!” she said with an angry tone.

“What did you expect from me? I’m the SMSL Trash after all.”

“P-Please, don’t fight! Nio, you shouldn’t joke about such a thing, and Tokaku-san, that wasn’t a nice thing to say to a classmate!” Haru reprimanded.

“But this is how she refers to herself.”

“I’m trash!” Nio proudly said.

Haru sighed. Tokaku was definitely not a sociable person, while Nio was hard to read. Haru could never know what was really on the blonde girl’s mind. 

“How long are you planning to make me wait, you bastards!”

Haru felt goose bumps when she recognized the voice that was coming from behind her.  She immediately turned back to confirm her suspicion. A screen was now present in the cafeteria and someone appeared on it. Despite the fact that he was wearing a mask and a hood, Haru could see that Monokuma was pretty mad.

“Oh my, can you wait after we finish our lunch before bothering us? And you scared poor Banba-san…”

Haru could indeed see that Mahiru was shaking in fear, hiding behind Hanabusa.

“Like I care!” Monokuma shouted. “I’ve no more time to waste waiting for a murder to occur. How is it possible for you, of all people, to hesitate to kill!?”

“I don’t know why you think it’s so surprising for us to not kill each other, but for me, it’s common sense.” Chitaru replied. “We’re sane enough to understand that killing is wrong!”

“Especially since we have no good reason to do it.” Suzu added.

“Good reason you say? I already gave you a good reason to kill! If you don’t murder someone, you won’t be able to escape from here!”

“It’s a reason indeed, but not necessarily a good one.” Shuto argued. “There are too many things that are not clear with your game; we can’t risk our lives with the reason you gave us. It’s not motivating enough .”

Suddenly, Monokuma showed a wide and insane smile, which greatly worried Haru.

“Upupu, I see. I get it now. It’s not a reason you need, but a motive. Very well, I’m perfectly fine with that. Let’s see…if you kill someone and you are not discovered by the others, you’ll not only graduate, but you will also have a special reward.”

Kouko immediately stood up and went in front of the screen.

“Don’t try to tempt us! Even if you’re the headmaster, as the class rep, I won’t let anyone be fooled by you!”

“That’s not it, I’m not trying to fool you. I’ll really reward you if you succeed at killing someone without being discovered.”

“And what kind of reward could possibly convince us to murder someone?” Shiena asked with contempt.

“What about a wish? If you win, I’ll grant you one wish of your choice.” Monokuma proposed.

“Who do you think you are? A genie? Are you trying to pretend that magic is real, maybe?” Hitsugi asked.

“I’m not pretending to be a genie and no, it’s not about magic, it’s about money and power. Don’t forget who I am. I’m the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy and I’m currently controlling Myojo Academy. As long as it's possible and stays realistic, I can grant pretty much every wish. The resources I have access to allow me to do it.”

“Huh, really? You can grant us any wish we want?” Isuke asked.

“Isuke-sama, you shouldn’t say something like that. You’ll definitely be the first suspect if a murder occurs.” Haruki said.

“Even if you give us a motive, which by the way sounds really fishy, there’s still too much incertitude to play your game.” Suzu insisted. “Like, what’s the exact meaning of ‘graduate’? And what happens if we fail to kill without being discovered? And if we succeed and graduate, what will happen to the others? Will the game continue?”

“I could answer those questions, but it would be a spoiler. I prefer to let you discover them in due time and place. All I will say is that ‘graduate’ means leaving this place and that I’m not lying about the reward; I really can grant you any wish. Oh, and the game will be over when there are only two people left. With that said, enjoy your lunch; it could be your last one.”

Right after saying those words, Monokuma disappeared from the screen.

“Giving us such an unbelievable motive, Monokuma is truly an idiot.” Suzu said. “But someone who trusts his deceitful promise is a greater idiot than him. I’ll definitely not take part in such a game with so many unclear details.”

“Ah, of course, it would be stupid to trust him about this wish.” Isuke said.

“That wasn’t what you seemed to think earlier, Isuke-sama.”

“Shut up, you peasant!” the pink-haired girl replied.

“Anyway, no reward would justify killing for it!” Chitaru claimed. “I don’t care about the wish, I will never kill for my selfish desire!”

“As the class rep, I forbid you from listening to Monokuma’s nonsense. I won’t let a murder happen. We need to be united as a class and trust each other.”

Even if some people showed their agreement with Kouko, like Suzu, Chitaru, Hitsugi, and Nio, the others seemed unsure about what they should do.

The rest of the dinner was silent. Haru had difficulty to finish her lunch; she had lost her appetite. Even if she wanted to trust her classmates, she couldn’t help herself from feeling some doubts about the intentions of some of them now that there was a motive to kill.

*

Haru was lying on her bed, unable to sleep. It’s been a day since Monokuma gave his motive to kill. Haru couldn’t help herself from being nervous, and even scared. She was afraid that she would wake up and discover one of her classmates dead, murdered. She was also worried that she could be the first victim.

Haru suddenly rose up and sat on the bed, before slapping her own cheeks with her hands.

 _“That’s not good, I shouldn’t doubt my classmates like that! Haru needs to have faith in all of them. There’s no way they will fall for Monokuma’s temptation, especially not if they need to kill for it!”_ she thought.

Haru decided that she just needed to believe in everyone and stop being worried to make everything go well. With a class rep like Kaminaga, there’s no way things could go bad.

_“If Haru stays optimistic and friendly with everyone, maybe it would be enough to convince them to get along.”_

She stood up from the bed and looked around. Despite the fact that was a single-person room, Haru felt that it shouldn’t be the case. She couldn't help herself from thinking that it would be nice to have a roommate. Her actual dorm room was pretty modest, without being cheap. It had a bed, a small kitchen, and a bathroom with a shower. According to Nio, she never knew about this secret dormitory. Hashiri told them that in her memory, this new dormitory was before an abandoned part of the main building with unused classrooms. 

Suddenly, Haru heard someone knocking at her door. With some worrying, she went to open it and discovered the identity of her visitor.

“Tokaku-san! What are you doing this late?”

The blue-haired girl remained in the doorframe, looking like she was hesitating.

“I…need to talk with you, Ichinose.”

“Sure, come in!”

She let Tokaku enter and she went in the kitchen. The blue-haired girl closed the door and slowly approached her.

“So, what’s going on Tokaku-san? Do you have difficulty to sleep? Haru has it too, with all that happened, it’s kind of normal…”

Haru suddenly had a bad feeling. She immediately turned back and saw Tokaku a little bit too close to her, with a sharp object in her hand. Haru discovered with fear that it was a kitchen knife.

“Tokaku-san…?”

“I’m sorry, Ichinose. I truly am. But I’ve to do it.”

The blue-haired girl raised her armed hand, ready to strike. Haru also raised her hands, in an attempt to defend herself. But she didn’t need to. Tokaku suddenly froze. Her gaze seemed frightened for a moment, before it became emotionless. She lowered her knife and recoiled a little bit.

“So I still can’t do it after all.” Tokaku mumbled.

“Tokaku-san…did you try to kill Haru!?”

“Yes.” the blue-haired girl replied without hesitation.

Haru couldn’t believe it. Tokaku was probably the classmate she thought she was the closest to, but despite that, she tried to kill her.

“Is that for the reward?”

“No. I couldn’t care less about the wish.”

“Then why…!?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Yes, it matters! You tried to kill me! Not only trying to kill Haru was wrong, did you think about the other consequences? What if you were discovered? You could have been in deep trouble!”

Tokaku seemed surprised by Haru’s words. She suddenly avoided her eyes, with a troubled look on her face.

“I just couldn’t stand being in this ridiculous game! I wanted to get out of here. But it seemed I can’t win this game by killing someone…”

“Tokaku-san…do you regret your actions?”

“Huh? I…I do feel that it was wrong trying to kill you.”

“As I thought. You did say you were sorry, and you stopped yourself, so I forgive you this time.” Haru said with a smile, before becoming serious. “But I warn you. You better not try to kill Haru or someone else again! In my case, I don’t intend to die easily. Haru is protected by undying magic!”

“An...undying magic?”

“Yes, it’s…made of the wishes of the people who died to protect me. This is why I can’t die, I’ve to survive for them. Haru wasn't born to die, but to live!”

“It…sounds more like a curse to me. To have the burden of so many deaths on your shoulders…”

This time, Tokaku didn’t only seem troubled. Haru could see guiltiness in her eyes, which convinced her that she was right to have forgiven her.

“Don’t worry, Tokaku-san. Haru isn’t sad. Haru has to stay positive. So please, don’t try to kill again, it would bring nothing good.”

The blue-haired girl remained silent for a moment, before her gaze became once again emotionless.

“I said that I don’t intend to win this game by killing, but I don’t have the intention to lose either. There’s another way to win. Remember what Monokuma said? The game will end when there are only two people left.”

“W-What about that?” Haru asked, worried.

“I intend to be one of those two people. I’ll survive this game, and I want you to be the other one who will survive.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“I won’t let you die. I’ll protect you. We will survive together and let the others kill each other until there is only us.”

“No, it won’t be like this! I can’t believe our classmates will really kill each other! We will all survive together!”

“You’re free to believe what you want, but I’m sure they will eventually begin to kill. Well, it doesn’t matter to me, it won’t change my intention. I’ll protect you.”

“Haru is…happy that Tokaku-san wants to protect her, but…why me?”

Suddenly, the blue-haired girl smiled in a strange way. Her smile seemed malicious, but Haru knew that Tokaku wasn’t that kind of person. She had the impression that in fact, Tokaku’s smile looked awkward only because she wasn’t used to smiling.

“Because your smell is different from everyone else’s here. You smell good. I have the feeling that I can trust you. And I have also decided to bet on your victory, Ichinose.”

Haru couldn’t stop herself from blushing. What Tokaku said was weird and even disturbing, but Haru couldn’t stop her heart from racing because of this declaration. She had the feeling she could trust Tokaku, despite the fact that she almost killed her a few minutes ago.

To seal their engagement, Haru hugged Tokaku, fearless despite the fact that she was still holding the kitchen knife. She was convinced that the blue-haired girl wouldn’t try to kill her anymore. Tokaku didn’t hug her back, but it was fine with Haru. At least she didn’t push her back.

With this event, Haru was even more convinced that she could manage to survive this year’s Class Black and that everything was going to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haru thinks that everything is going to be daijoubu. Haru should realise that she isn't in the AnR world anymore but in the one of DR, and nothing went daijoubu in DR!


	5. Chapter 1: Don't break the curfew

"Wow, it's beautiful, Takechi-san!" Haru said cheerfully.

Haru was standing in front of Otoya, who was finishing a flower arrangement. She was impressed by her abilities to do such a beautiful bouquet. Tokaku was near them, gazing with annoyance the florist. They were the three of them in Myojo's inner garden. Takechi had discovered it this morning and invited Haru to visit it. Of course, Tokaku came along too, but only to watch over Haru.

"It's amazing! As expected of the SMSL Florist!" Haru acclaimed.

"Officially yes, my talent is florist. But in fact, it's not really the case. My true talent is scissoring." Takechi said while showing her scissor. "I'm skilled with everything that requires the use of scissors. The proof, I'm quite good as a hairdresser! Haru-chi, do you want a new haircut?"

Tokaku immediately went between them and gave a menacing glare to Otoya.

"I won't let you near Ichinose with a sharp object."

"Haha, you're so scary! But don't worry, I wasn't trying to hurt Haru-chi."

"Tokaku-san, please. Haru doesn't think that Takechi-san had bad intentions."

"I see what's going on. Haru-chi is already taken, isn't it Azuma-san?"

Haru blushed a little, while the blue haired girl seemed embarrassed and irritated.

"Shut up! I just want to protect Ichinose, that's it."

"Oh, so I still have a chance?" Otoya replied cheerfully.

Haru blushed even more, while Tokaku was clearly annoyed and even pissed.

"Haha, don't look at me like that, I'm so scared! Anyway, you don't have to worry, I don't have the intention encroach on you territory, even though I'm tempted to also want to protect Haru-chi."

Otoya put back her scissors into it case, which was fixed at her belt.

"Well then, guess that I'll have to move to plan B. Hey, Shiena-chan!"

Haru turned back and discovered that indeed, Kenmochi just arrived into the inner garden.

"Shiena-chan! Shorter bangs would suit you better, let me cut it for you! Or would you prefer that I show you one of my flower arrangement?"

Takechi went to join the SMSL Hacker. Despite the fact that Shiena looked kind of bothered by Otoya's presence, she didn't reject her attempt of hanging out with her. They both walk together toward another part of the inner garden, until Haru lost sight of them.

"Takechi-san…she act kind of like a player, don't you think?"

"More like a nuisance." the blue haired girl replied coldly.

Tokaku and Haru exited the inner garden and came across Chitaru and Hitsugi who were, like usual, holding hands while walking.

"Ah, Namatame-san, Hitsugi-chan, good afternoon!" Haru said with a friendly smile.

"Good afternoon too, Ichinose, Azuma." Chitaru replied politely

"Good afternoon to both of you!" Kirigaya exclaimed with a childish expression.

Haru looked at both of them, still having a hard time to believe that they had both the same age.

"So this is the inner garden? How is it?" Namatame asked.

"Really beautiful! And Takechi-san did a really nice flower arrangement, you should see it. She's probably doing another one right now with Shiena-san." Haru said.

"So Takechi and Kenmochi are together…I'm not sure it's a good thing." Chitaru said. "This is why I don't like this situation. To see girls like Ichinose, Kenmochi and Kirigaya being here worry me. Some people here seemed kind of dangerous, I don't want you to be hurt, or worse, killed."

"Huh, you think Takechi-san is dangerous?"

"I don't know for sure, but she doesn't seem trustworthy to me. I don't want to judge her too soon, but there's something about her that I find fishy." Chitaru replied.

"I too, find her suspicious." Hitsugi added.

Haru didn't understand why so much people didn't trust Otoya. To her, she seemed to be a friendly and nice person.

"I see that…you're still holding hands." Haru commented.

"Kirigaya wanted to go see the inner garden, and I was worried that she could get lost." Chitaru gave as an explanation.

"Chitaru-san is a wonderful person, isn't she?" Hitsugi said cheerfully.

"Oh, I see, it makes sense. Well then, Haru won't keep you any longer, go enjoy the garden!"

Chitaru and Hitsugi said a brief "bye" and went inside the inner garden.

"Namatame…she doesn't smell bad." Tokaku said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that she seems rather trustworthy."

"So you want to get along with her?" Haru asked happily.

"It's too late, the little one already get her claws on her."

Huh? But Hitsugi-chan doesn't seem like a bad person. How could such a small and cute girl could be bad?"

"I don't trust my eyes when it comes to judge people, I only trust nose."

"Tokaku-san, you sound like some kind of wild animal."

The blue haired girl didn't reply anything. She turned back and began to walk toward the cafeteria.

"Tokaku-san, wait for Haru!"

* * *

Haru came out of her shower and put her pajama. It's been three days since Monokuma gave is motive and nothing bad happened. Haru began to feel that whatever temptation Monokuma tried to use, her classmates won't resort to murder. This thought filled Haru with a feeling that seemed to be hope.

Suddenly, she noticed something on the floor, near the door. It seemed to be a piece of paper. Haru took it and discovered that it was in fact an envelope.

" _Someone must have sent me this envelope by passing it under the door when I was in the shower._ " she thought.

Curious, Haru opened it and discovered a letter. She didn't lose time and read it:

" _Dear Ichinose Haru-san, there have something I need to tell you, in private. Can you join me in the classroom near the cafeteria as soon as possible please? And come alone, you're the only I can trust._

 _Kenmochi Shiena_ "

"Shiena-san? I wonder what she wants to tell Haru…"

Immediately, Haru grabbed the handle, ready to go. But suddenly, a doubt emerged in her thoughts.

" _What if it was a trap?_ "

With this thought, Haru hesitated for a moment, before pulling herself together.

" _I shouldn't think like that. I've to trust my classmates, otherwise I couldn't be friend with them._ "

With some nervousness, Haru opened the door and exited her room and head toward the meeting point. But she could barely do three steps before someone stopped her.

"Ichinose!"

Haru blenched and turned back.

"Kaminaga-kaichô!"

"You shouldn't be outside your room. You broke the curfew." the black haired girl reprimanded.

Since Monokuma gave is first motive, Kouko had imposed a curfew to everyone. According to her, they should be safe the night if they all there in their room and ensured a feeling of safety among everyone.

"I'm sorry! But Haru has a good reason. Someone asked me to join her near the cafeteria."

To prove it, Haru showed the letter she found in the envelope to Kouko. The class rep read it and showed a sever expression.

"Idiot, this is clearly a trap."

"No it's not! You said it yourself, that we should trust each other. Haru doesn't want to doubt her classmates!"

Kouko looked dumbfolded for a couple of seconds. She sighed, before showing a slight smile.

"You're right, I did say that. Mutual trust is essential in a group if we want to stay united. I'm sorry to have called you an idiot, Ichinose…"

"It's ok, Haru isn't…"

"But it's not a reason to break the curfew. Give me this letter, I'll meet her and explain to her that she shouldn't have break the curfew too and that if she wants to talk with you, she'll have to wait tomorrow. Now you can go to sleep…"

"W-Wait, Kaminaga…"

"Don't worry. You said it yourself. We need to trust each other. Those words came from me, so there must be true."

"Yes, you're right. There's nothing to worry about." Haru said with a smile. "Kaminaga-kaichô, you truly are an amazing person. You're so reliable and you always know what to do, like a real leader. Haru is really happy that you're our class rep."

Kouko's expression suddenly showed some embarrassment, and even guiltiness.

"I'm not…that great. In fact, I didn't come here only because I was chosen to be the SMSL Leader. I've…a less honorable reason to have come to Myojo Academy. And I must admit that…I was kind of tempted by Monokuma's motive, even if I never considered commit a murder."

"Another reason? What it is? And…what kind of wish do you have?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm the class rep and the leader of everything, I can't betray everyone for my selfish desire! But I must admit that, I've selfish reasons to want to prevent a murder, and it's because of the wish I have. Let just say that the place I came from isn't suited for me and I want to quit, and I prefer living in this school for the rest of my life rather than go back there. I'm terrible, right? Maybe I'm not suited to be a leader after all…"

Haru could see what seemed to be despair into Kouko's eyes. Wanting to comfort her, she grabbed both Kaminaga's hands and showed a friendly and sweet smile.

"Whatever you were in the past, it doesn't matter. To me, you're my classmate, and the class rep. I trust you, Haru know that you're a good person now. It's the present that matter, not the past. So don't torment yourself. I've faith in you and in everyone, I know that with you as our leader, everything would be fine. In fact, Haru think that being the class rep isn't enough, you should be the school president."

Kouko immediately blushed.

"School president!? I never thought about that, not even in my wildest dreams! But, I do think that there's a title like that at Hope's Peak Academy, maybe that I…" Kaminaga began to say with an embarrassed look, before clearing her throat. "Anyway, you should go back to your room now. I'll take care of everything."

Haru giggled. She found that Kouko's attitude was kind of cute, especially since it was the first time she saw her acting that way.

"Yes, you're right. I'll go now. See you tomorrow!"

"Good night, Ichinose."

Kouko turned back and head toward the cafeteria. When Haru was ready to go back to her room, she suddenly heard footsteps. She turned back and discovered who it was.

"Haruki-san!"

"Shhh, the class rep is near us." the redhead said. "I think she didn't see me…"

"That's not good, you shouldn't break the curfew. Kaminaga-kaichô impose it to protect us, you should respect it." Haru reprimanded.

"I know, but I was hungry. I went to the cafeteria, but it's locked. I suppose that the cafeteria is one of the area that is closed in nighttime. I'll try with the vending machines and after that I swear, I go back to my room. Ok?"

"You better!" Haru said with a fake sever expression.

Haruki laughed a little bit, and head toward were the vending machines were. Haru didn't lose any more time and went back to her room and went to sleep, still a little bit worry about Kouko.

* * *

Haru woke up early. It was only 6 in the morning when she woke up, the sun wasn't even in the sky. She got out of her bed and put her school uniform, before exiting her room. Still worried about last night's events, she decided to go check at the meeting point.

Went she walk inside the school, Haru saw nobody. She concluded that she was the first one who woke up. When saw the cafeteria and confirmed that Haruki didn't lie. It was really closed, since it was technically still nighttime. She arrived at the classroom near the cafeteria and stopped. She was worried about what she could find inside.

" _There's nothing to be afraid of. Kaminaga-san only went there to talk with Shiena-san._ " she thought to give herself some courage.

Haru finally went inside the classroom. It was so dark that she couldn't see anything for the first few seconds. When her eyes got use to the darkness, she saw something on the floor. It took her some seconds to realise that it was a person. Someone was lying on the floor.

" _Is…someone sleeping here? But it's against the rule…_ "

Haru really had a bad feeling about that. She tried to determine who it was. The person seemed to have dark hair, probably brown or black, and tied in twins or pigtails. With the light of the moon, Haru could see the weak light reflected on a pair of glasses.

" _Is it…?_ "

Haru spotted a puddle of dark liquid near the body. Terrified, she searched for a switch to turn on the light. She found on and turned it on, lighting the classroom. With great fear, she turned back, to discover the body of Kouko, lying on the floor in a puddle of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter is despair-inducing...wait, I should I've said that before the chapter!
> 
> Oh well.
> 
> Have a nice day!
> 
> btw, you should visualise the blood pink, it would more DR-like.


	6. Chapter 1: Trust and Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry everyone, nobody really died last chapter. It was just ketchup, I swear... (haha, april fool).

No scream came out from Haru's mouth when she found Kouko's body. She couldn't believe it was true. She wanted to believe that it was just a nightmare and that she was about to wake up. It wasn't the case, unfortunately.

"Kaminaga…?"

While her legs were shaking, Haru tried to move, and began to walk slowly toward the corpse. The blood seemed to be coming from her stomach. Haru crouched near the body, wanting to check Kouko's vitals.

"Haru? And…Kaminaga-kaichô!?"

Haru blenched and turned back. She discovered Nio in the doorframe, who was gazing her with a shocked expression.

"Nio! K-Kaminaga-san, she has a terrible injury…"

The blonde girl rushed toward the body and leaned. Delicately, she brushed one of Kouko's twintails and touched her neck. A sadden expression appeared on Hashiri's face.

"It's too late, she's dead." Nio said.

Reality hit Haru like a truck. She was forced to admit that it truly happened, Kaminaga was really murdered. An intense feeling of guilt emerged in Haru's mind.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here so early in the…What the hell!? What happened?!"

Haru turned back and discovered Haruki, who looked bewilder. The redhead rushed inside the classroom and stopped near them.

"Attention everyone! This is the Body Discovery Announcement. A body has been discovered in the classroom near the cafeteria. You're invited to go there for more information."

Haru recognised this voice. It was Monokuma's voice. After few minutes, everyone gathered inside the classroom. Some of them were still in pajama, probably because they were still sleeping before the announcement. Suzu was the last one to arrive. Haru could see what seemed to be grief in her eyes, before her gaze became cold and her expression stoic.

"She was murdered, right?" Isuke asked.

"It looks like that." Sumireko answered calmly. "What a shame, but it's not surprising."

"Who did this!? Show yourself, you miscreant!" Chitaru shouted.

Haru noticed that a screen was now there in the classroom. Monokuma's image appeared on it, showing an evil grin.

"Upupu, you finally did it! A murder occurred, just like I predicted it." Monokuma said.

"You! You're the one who did this, aren't you!?" Shiena accused.

"Me? Of course not. I'm not even in this school, and there's no way I would hurt my dear students. It's one of you bastards who did it." The headmaster replied.

"You mean…one of us killed Kaminaga-san?" Hitsugi asked.

"Yes, one of you is the blackened. Since everyone is here, or almost everyone, I'll take the opportunity to tell you the new rules I've added!"

There was indeed someone missing. Haru only noticed it right now, since she was too shaken by Kouko's death to realise that Tokaku wasn't there.

"So, rule #6: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students. Rule #7: If the blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be expelled. If the blackened is not exposed, the remaining students will be expelled. Rule #8: If the blackened is not exposed, they will be the only one to graduate and as a reward, will have one wish granted. Rule #9 The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people discover a body for the first time. The blackened doesn't count.

"Wait a minute. Expelled? Graduate? Doesn't the result the same in our situation?" Otoya asked.

"You're right, expelled isn't the more fitting term. Ok, I change that. The winner will graduate, which mean will be allowed to leave this school. The loser will be punished, which mean will be executed. This will be all for the moment. I let you some time to investigate before the class trial. Good luck!"

Suddenly, Monokuma's image disappeared from the screen. Everyone stayed quiet for a few seconds, probably too shocked to say something.

"Whoever killed Kaminaga, save your honor by denouncing yourself right now!" Namatame asked firmly.

"Chitaru-san, you're an honorable person, but the culprit isn't. I don't think whoever did it will say it." Kirigaya replied.

"Especially if being discovered means being executed." Sumireko added.

"Isuke isn't really comfortable with blood, so I'll let you investigate the corpse while I go investigate others clues. Haruki, come with me."

"Huh? Oh, yes, Isuke-sama." Haruki replied before leaving the classroom with Isuke.

"I can't believe one of us is the culprit! I'm sure there someone else is hiding in the school, and it must be this person who killed Kaminaga. I'll find them!" Shiena declared before leaving the classroom.

"Kirigaya, you shouldn't stay here. It's not good for you to witness such a gruesome sight." Chitaru said.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Hitsugi replied.

Suzu approached from Kouko's corpse and crouched. She examined the dead body and stood up, before looking around her, like she was analysing the classroom. When she finished, she exited the room without saying a word.

"Poor Shuto, she really seemed to like Kaminaga." Namatame said with sympathy.

"We should start investigating here, we probably won't have a lot of time before the class trial. If we can't figure it out who's the culprit, we will be executed." Sumireko said.

"Let's examine the body first." Hitsugi proposed.

"Leave it to me, it's not something a girl like you should watch." Chitaru said.

The SMSL Fencer went to the corpse and crouched. Delicately and with respect, she touched Kouko, looking at her injury. Kaminaga's dead body was lying on the side, a little bit curled up. Besides her wound on her stomach, there had a rather deep cut on her right arm. Her left hand was open, while the right one was closed, except for the index and the middle fingers. With some hesitation, Haru approached from the corpse.

"Namatame-san, did you discover something?" Haru asked.

"Ichinose, don't come too close. It's not something you should watch." Chitaru began to say. "Kaminaga, she was stabbed with a pointy object. It looks like she was perforated in the stomach. The wound is about one centimeter long and is deep. It's probably the fatal injury. The one on her arm isn't enough deep to have caused a fatal blood lost. She doesn't seem to have any other injury other than those two."

"Poor her, it must had been quite painful." Hitsugi added.

This statement caused Haru to feel a squeeze in her heart.

"Hum, what is that…?" Namatame mumbled.

Chitaru took an object that was under one of Kouko's arm. It was a broken pair of glasses with square framed.

"Maybe it's a replacement pair she had on her." Hitsugi proposed.

Haru looked around and spotted an object on the floor that wasn't supposed to be in a classroom. She went toward in and took it. It was a lead pipe.

"Maybe it's da murder weapon." Banba said.

"Huh, Banba-san?"

"Yup, it's me. I was just sayin' that it could be da murder weapon. Ya know, with this you can smash pretty hard someone's head."

Haru noticed that the way Banba talked was different. She was even grinning, which was kind of spooky, given the situation. Maybe it was her way to react to stress?

"Kaminaga-san…was stabbed to death." Haru replied.

"Oh. Well then, I ain't know why this is here."

Haru moved away from her, a little bit afraid by Banba's unusually attitude.

"I wonder why Azuma-san isn't here." Sumireko commented.

Haru wondered too. She thought that Tokaku would arrive a little bit later, but it didn't seem to be the case, which began to seriously worry her.

"Maybe Tokaku-san is a heavy sleeper so she wasn't waked up by the announcement." Haru proposed.

"Hum, maybe." Hanabusa replied without seeming to be convinced. "Last night, I heard someone running in the corridor of the dormitory. I opened my door to see who it was, and I saw Azuma-san running. Since it was almost the curfew, I didn't follow her, and I've no idea where she ran to."

"Are you…suspecting Tokaku-san!?"

"Well, she was outside her room in the night, so she's suspicious. But there's someone else I'm suspecting too…"

"I hope it's not me, because I didn't do it!" Nio said.

"I'll keep my suspicion for the class trial." Hanabusa replied.

"Oy, it's not good to keep little secrets!" Otoya protested. "We're supposed to work together to find the culprit, so we need to trust each other."

"Oh really? I'm pretty sure it's everyone for themselves now. We're all enemies, we don't know who the culprit is, so we should be cautious and doubt each other." Sumireko replied.

"That's not it! It's unfair to doubt each other just because of one person's action!" Haru protested. "We need to work together if we want to find the culprit. Don't forget what Kaminaga-san told us, we need as a group to trust each other!"

"No wonder why she's the first one to be killed." Banba replied.

"Hey, don't say this kind of thing about the deceased!" Chitaru reprimanded.

Haru began to recoil. She couldn't believe they could say something so insensitive about Kouko. It was awful. Unable to stay there, she ran away from the classroom. Since she wasn't looking where she was going, she collided with something and fell on the ground.

"Ouch!" uttered a feminine voice.

Haru discovered Shiena, who was also on the ground.

"Ah, sorry, Shiena-san!"

"Don't worry, I'm alright. What about you Ichinose?"

Kenmochi rose up and help Haru to do the same.

"Haru is alright too. Shiena-san, did you…see Tokaku-san?"

"Azuma? No, I didn't, why? Don't tell me…you didn't see her since yesterday?!"

"Yes, and she didn't come after the announcement. Haru is worried that something bad happened to Tokaku-san…"

"If you're worried about her, why don't you search her with me? I'm looking for the culprit, so we can search together."

"Shiena-san, you really think the culprit isn't one of us?"

"Of course! It's clearly a plot from this Monokuma creep. He just wants us to play his awful game."

Haru was impressed that Kenmochi was able to believe that all her classmates were innocent. Even if Haru wanted to believe in everyone, she still had the feeling that unfortunately, the culprit was one of them. But she decided to not say this to Shiena.

"Yes, let's search together!"

* * *

Haru and Shiena arrived in front of a door in a dead-end. They searched multiple rooms, without finding anyone.

"This door…is special."

"Huh? Why?" Haru asked.

"Look the handle. The door locks from the outside."

Haru observed the handle. Indeed, there was a lock on it. She grabbed it and tried to open the door, in vain.

"It's locked." Haru said.

"I wonder why. Maybe we should look inside."

Haru unlocked the door and opened it. Behind there was a storage room. When Haru was about to enter, she saw that Shiena stayed immobile.

"You don't go inside?"

"Since this door locks from the outside, it would be better if I stay to be sure no one tries to lock us inside." Kenmochi replied.

Haru suddenly had a doubt. She remembered the letter she received from Shiena. What if the SMSL Hacker was the culprit? Maybe she wanted to trap her there to have less people attending the class trial.

" _No, it can't be! Shiena-san isn't this kind of person._ " she thought.

Deciding to trust Kenmochi, Haru went inside. She examined the other side of the door, especially the handle. There wasn't a lock. The door couldn't be lock from the inside.

She suddenly noticed something else. It was a small blood stain on the door. Worried and even terrified, Haru began to search everywhere in the room, to see if there was another victim.

"Ichinose?"

When she recognized the voice, Haru turned back.

"Tokaku-san!?"

"What happened? I heard a weird announcement…did someone really die?"

Haru rushed toward the blue haired girl and hugged her, while crying.

"Tokaku-san! I was so afraid, I thought that something terrible happened to you."

"What? No, I was…busy. As if something could happen to me. So no need to cry, I'm fine."

"It's not just that…Kaminaga-san was killed!"

Haru began to cry more. She suddenly felt a hand gently stroking her hair.

"So it was her…she wasn't one of the worst here. I'll find the culprit. But first tell me Ichinose, why did you…"

"Ichinose, what take you so long…Azuma!?"

Haru released Tokaku and saw that Shiena was now in the storage room.

"Upupu, the investigation time is now over! You all need to come to the elevator near the vending machines. If someone doesn't come, this person will be punished. Please hurry, the class trial will begin soon!" Monokuma's voice resonated.

Haru wiped her tears, before heading toward the exit.

"Ichinose, what's this class trial?" Tokaku asked.

"Haru will explain it to you on our way there."

* * *

Haru, Tokaku and Shiena arrived at the vending machines. Everyone else was already there.

"Oh, Azuma-san is finally there! Where were you? Hiding maybe?" Otoya asked.

"During an investigation? I don't think it's the good time to play hide and seek." Nio commented with a grin.

Tokaku didn't reply to any of them. Nio approached the elevator and examined it.

"The first day of our imprisonment here I checked the elevator, and it wasn't working. I wonder why Monokuma gathered us here." Hashiri said.

Haru turned back and noticed that Sumireko and Banba were behind her.

"Ichinose-san, I hope that you do not hold it against me about what happened at the crime scene." Hanabusa began to say. "My intention wasn't to offend you, just like you I want to survive and find the culprit."

"You misunderstood Haru's intention, Hanabusa-san. I don't want to find the culprit only to survive, but for everyone's safety! Because we are classmates!"

Sumireko seemed surprise for few seconds, before she giggled a little.

"Oh my, you're definitely an interesting person, Ichinose-san. I'm intrigued to see how you're going to manage during the class trial." Hanabusa said before she moved away.

"A-Ah…wait…" Banba whispered, before she looked at Haru. "I'm…sorry about earlier. It wasn't a nice thing to say…about Kaminaga-san."

Haru was surprised by Mahiru's attitude. She seemed to have taken back her regular personality. Then, why Banba was acting so oddly back then? Anyway, Haru couldn't possibly be mad at someone who looked so shy and innocent like Banba.

"It's ok, Mahiru-san. If you're truly sorry, Haru forgive you."

Banba sighed with relief and went back to Sumireko's side.

"I like your spirit, Ichinose. We need to work together in order to find the culprit. But, even if this person apologizes, killing is unforgivable!" Chitaru said.

"Whoever did it, we won't let this person get away with this." Hitsugi added.

"Ah, we're so lucky to have a classmate like Haru-chi. No wonder why she's the SMSL Lucky Student!" Otoya said cheerfully.

"It's so boring. Can we do this class trial already before Isuke fall asleep from boredom?"

"Isuke-sama, you should take this more seriously. Our life is at stake you know…" Haruki replied.

Haru looked around and spotted Suzu. No emotion was visible on her face. Haru felt really bad for her. She then noticed that for some reason, Shuto was holding a pack of cards.

The elevator's doors suddenly opened.

"Sorry for the wait! You can go inside, the class trial will begin!" Monokuma's voice said.

Slowly, the Class Black's students began to go inside the elevator. Haru hesitated for a moment, worried about what she could discover during the class trial. She was scared to learn that indeed, one of them killed Kaminaga. She wanted so much to trust her classmates, to know that one of them is a murderer was painful.

"Ichinose?" Tokaku called.

The blue haired girl was in the elevator's doorframe, looking with confusion at her. Haru rushed and went inside the elevator, and the doors closed.

"Don't worry. You can trust me, and I trust you. This is all that matter." Tokaku whispered in her ear.

The elevator began to move, going down. Even if she knew it will be hard to accuse one of classmates, Haru knew that there wasn't any other way. She needed to find the culprit, otherwise everyone is going to be executed.

" _Kaminaga-san's murderer…is probably one of us. She was our class rep, she was trying so hard to protect us all. Even if Haru believe in forgiveness, I don't think that I can forgive the one who did this. This is why, during the class trial, Haru will definitely uncover the identity of the culprit!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that it's not AnR univers but the one of DR when they aren't expelled if they failed but executed.
> 
> Next chapter, the first class trial! Yeah!
> 
> btw, I was thinking that maybe I could some sketchs of some scenes, even if my drawing skills aren't so good.


	7. Chapter 1: Beginning of the class trial

The elevator finally reached its destination. The doors opened and revealed what seemed to be a classroom. Twelve desks were there, forming a circle. There weren’t any chair. In the middle of this circle, there had a black coffin. Everyone left the elevator and went into the room. A screen was also there, and Monokuma’s figure appeared on it.

“Welcome to the first class trial! Please everyone, take your seat. Your name, talent and number are writing on it.” Monokuma said.

The Class Black’s students approached from the circle of desks. When she arrived at hers, Haru discovered with horror what was into the coffin. Kouko’s corpse was lying in it, on her back, her arms crossed on her chest. If it wasn’t for the gruesome wound on her stomach, Kaminaga would look liked she was only sleeping peacefully.

“That’s so creepy, Isuke isn’t into that kind of stuff.” the pink haired girl commented.

“This is really in poor taste. This is how you treated the deceased?” Chitaru added.

“Hey, she’s in a coffin, there’s nothing more respectful for a dead person to be able to lie in a coffin! And this is a reminder for you of whom this class trial is about.” Monokuma replied. “Anyway, go take your seat, the class trial will begin.”

Haru went in front of her desk. In the corner the number 13 was written. “Ichinose Haru” and “Super Middle School Level Lucky Student” were written in the middle of the desk, on two different tags, nailed to the desk. Her desk was also facing the screen.

She noticed that Tokaku was at her left. Curious, Haru looked at the blue haired girl’s desk. It was the number 1 that was written in the corner. “Azuma Tokaku” was written on a tag. The other tag, the one with her talent, was special. The “Super Middle School Level” was there, but the place where the talent was supposed to be was defaced, and a piece of paper were it was written “???” had been glued on it.”

“How ironic that the SMSL Lucky Student’s number is thirteen!” Nio commented with a smirk.

Haru looked at the blonde girl’s desk. Hashiri was the number 10. A tag with her name was there, but there isn’t one for her talent. The inscription “Super Middle School Level Trash” was written directly on the desk with a black marker.

Haru looked at everyone else. Their desks were similar to hers. Isuke was the number 2, Hitsugi number 4, Shiena number 5, Haruki number 6, Suzu number 7, Otoya number 8, Chitaru number 9, Sumireko number 11 and Banba number 12. Haru then looked at Kouko’s corpse.

“ _She was probably…the number 3._ ” Haru thought with sadness.

“Okay my dear students, now that everyone take their seats, it’s time to start the class trial! You’ll argue with each other and try to find the culprit who killed Kaminaga Kouko. When the majority of you will agree, you'll vote to determine who do you think committed the murder. If the blackened is discovered, this person alone will be executed. But if you vote for the wrong person, everybody except the blackened will be executed and this person will graduate and as a reward, will have a wish granted. Without further ado, let’s begin the class trial!” Monokuma said.

Everyone remained silent for few seconds, before someone finally spoke.

“Maybe we should talk about how the victim died.” Chitaru proposed. “I examine Kaminaga’s corpse, and…”

“We already know how she was killed, do we? She was stab in the stomach, no need to loose time with that. So, in those detective dramas that Isuke doesn’t bother to watch, what they do to find the culprit?”

“The detective looks for the murder weapon, I think.” Haruki replied.

“If there are already suspects, we should look for the alibis.” Sumireko proposed.

“The time of death would be important in that case.” Hitsugi added.

“You are all forgetting what’s primordial! The motive of the culprit is the most important clue.” Nio said. “One of us seems to have a clear motive to have killed Kaminaga-kaichô than anyone else.”

Something felt off with one of those statements. Haru needed to ask the person who said it to explain more what she meant.

“Nio, the motive should be the same for everyone. It’s the wish Monokuma promised as a reward. So why one of us would have a clear motive? And who’s this person?” Haru asked.

“Indeed, the promise of a wish is what caused a murder to occur. But, I don’t think that kaichô was chosen randomly. In fact, I think that the culprit already had the intention to kill and that the wish only convinced her to take action. This person must have a grudge against the class rep.” Hashiri explained.

“W-Why someone…would have a grudge against Kaminaga-san?” Mahiru asked.

“Because she was too bossy?” Isuke proposed.

“No, I don’t think so. I think that the true motive was jealousy! The culprit was jealous because kaichô choose me as her assistant. Isn’t right, Shuto-san?” Nio said with a grin.

Haru was shocked. Could it be possible, that Suzu killed Kouko, even though she seemed to like her a lot? It was true that the gamester remained quiet since the body discovery, but Haru couldn’t believe she committed the murder. She needed to find a way to prove Suzu’s innocence.

She glanced at Shuto. Even if she was suspected, Suzu didn’t show any reaction. She had put her cards on her desk and she seemed to be about to play at some game with them.

“It’s too soon to make an accusation. The motive isn’t the most important clue! Just like Hanabusa-san said, with need to find everyone’s alibi! And for that, we need to determine the time of death. Isn’t that right, Hitsugi-chan?” Haru said.

“Ah, yes! I took me some time to convinced Chitaru-san, but I looked at the body and…”

“Wait! What kind of authority do you have to determine the time of death?” Otoya interrupted.

“I’m a toxicologist. In order to study the effect of toxins on organic organism, I also need to know how organic organisms work normally. And don’t forget that a body in decomposition is a source of toxic substances so…”

“Ok, we get it, no need to do a presentation about putrefaction and tell us the time of death.” Isuke interrupted with a disgusted expression.

“I estimate the time of death to be around 11pm.” Kirigaya replied.

“Good! Now we need to determine everyone’s alibi at 11pm. In my case, I was sleeping!” Nio said cheerfully.

“Isuke was also sleeping.”

“I was probably at the vending machines.” Haruki said.

“Hum, I think I was at the bathroom.” Otoya replied.

“I was on my way to my room.” Shiena answered.

“Shin…I was at the…public bath.” Banba said. “Shuto-san was also there, and Kenmochi left before us.”

“I was in my room.” Tokaku said.

 “I was in my room with Chitaru-san.” Hitsugi said.

“I was watching over Kirigaya.” Namatame confirmed.

“I was in my room, trying to sleep.” Haru said.

“I was drinking tea in my room.” Sumireko said.

Everyone had told their alibi, except one person. Suzu remained silent, playing at what seemed to be solitaire card game.

“What’s wrong, Shuto-san? Why do you stay quiet? Don’t you want to avenge our class rep? Unless the culprit is you!” Nio claimed with a provocative tone.

No, it couldn’t be true. What Hashiri was pretending contradicted on of the alibi.

“Shuto-san doesn’t need to tell us her alibi, somebody else did it!” Haru said. “Mahiru-san told us she was in the public bath with Shuto-san and Shiena-san!”

“Ah, yes, it’s true…” Banba confirmed.

“I can also certify Shuto’s presence in the public bath.” Kenmochi added.

“What, really? But I thought that…okay, I admit my mistake. I’m sorry Shuto-san to have accused you, I hope you’re not mad at me.” Nio said with a cat-like smile.

Suzu didn’t answer, continuing to play her cards game.

“Kya! She totally hates me now!” Hashiri said with distress.

“Some of the alibis are really odd, and some are hardly provable. But, I know for sure that two of them are false, and I have proofs that one of those two people is probably the culprit. Tell us Kenmochi-san, before you were on your way to your room, where were you?” Sumireko asked.

“Huh? I was at the public bath, Banba said it…”

“Indeed, you have been at the public bath, I can’t deny that. But I wonder what time it was when you left. Banba-san, when did you leave the public bath?” Hanabusa asked.

“I-I…left at 23h15…Shuto-san stayed longer.” Mahiru answered.

“And Kenmochi-san left before you, right? When?” Sumireko insisted.

“She…left maybe thirty minutes before me, I think.”

“So around 22h45, fifteen minutes before the murder occurred. So it’s mean that it’s impossible for Kenmochi-san to be on her way to her room at 11pm, she should already have arrived to her room. Unless she went somewhere else, like maybe a certain classroom…”

“Oy, you may be gorgeous Hanabusa-san, but I won’t let you accused Shiena-chan without a solid proof. You only prove that she maybe wasn’t on her way to her room at 11pm, but that doesn’t prove she did the murder!” Otoya protested.

“Indeed, I only proved that her alibi is false. But I’ve a proof that proves she had been at the crime scene. Ichinose-san, you should know what I’m talking about.”

“ _Huh? A proof that I should know? Is she talking about…_ ” Haru thought, before understood it. “You mean the broken pair of glasses, right?”

“What? I thought it was one of Kaminaga’s spare.” Chitaru said. “I don’t think it prove anything about Kenmochi presence on the crime scene.”

Even if it hurt Haru to admit it, she couldn’t deny that what Namatame said was wrong, and she needed to explain why.

“It can’t be Kaminaga-san’s spare. She wore round oval shaped glasses! The broken glasses we found at the scene crime were square framed glasses…” Haru said.

“You have a good memory, Ichinose-san. There are only two people who wear glasses. The first one was the victim, Kaminaga-san. And the other one have exactly the same kind of glasses that the broken one we found at the crime scene. So Kenmochi-san, care to explain why your glasses were at the crime scene? Or do you feel like confessing your crime?”

Everyone gazed at Shiena. The SMSL Hacker began to shake nervously, with a terrified look on her face.

“I…I didn’t do it, I swear! It’s a setup! Monokuma did it and made it look like it was me! He is the culprit!” Kenmochi protested.

“Oh my, trying to blame someone who isn’t here again?” Sumireko replied. “You know, it was suspicious of you to accuse an inexistent culprit rather than one of us. It’s logical for the culprit to make everyone believe that the culprit isn’t one of us to trick us and win.”

“I’m not the culprit! I wasn’t lying when I said that I was on my way to my room at 11pm. I was…lost. I couldn’t see well because I lost my glasses.” Shiena replied.

“Huh, you lost your glasses? That sounds like an obvious lie.” Nio said.

“It’s not a lie! When I left the public bath, my glasses weren’t in my locker anymore. I barely see without my glasses, so it took me some time to find my room.” the hacker claimed.

“That’s enough Kenmochi-san, it’s obvious that you’re lying. Isuke saw you wandering in the school at night, glassless. I bet that when you killed Kaminaga-san, she defended herself and broke your glasses. In a hurry, you left them in the classroom and ran away!” the pink haired girl accused.

Haru noticed that something couldn’t be true with what the SMSL Kick-Boxer said. She contradicted something she claimed earlier.

“Isuke-san, aren’t you supposed to be asleep at 11pm? How could you possibly saw Shiena-san if you were asleep? Did you lie about your alibi?” Haru asked.

“What? Of course not! Isuke was really sleeping at 11pm. I went to sleep at 22h50!”

“So, when you saw Shiena-san, Kaminaga-san was still alive! You saw her without her glasses, right? So it means she couldn’t have lost them in the classroom.” Haru said.

“You were outside your room at 22h50? But the curfew began at 22h!” Chitaru said.

“Isuke know that! Why do you think I went to sleep? I got caught by Kaminaga-san and she asked me to go back to my room!”

“Anyway, the glasses aren’t the only clue I have. I found this on the victim!” the SMSL Lady said while showing a bloody piece of paper. “It’s a letter, let me read it for you: ‘...-san, there have something I need to tell you, in private. Can you join me in the classroom near the cafeteria as soon as possible please? And come alone, you're the only I can trust.  Kenmochi Shiena’. The blood hides the name of the addressee, but it safe to assume that it’s Kaminaga’s name that is written. It’s the irrefutable proof that Kenmochi-san is the culprit. She lured Kaminaga-san in the classroom and killed her! Her missing glasses were just an excuse to trick us.”

Haru felt her heart jumping when she saw the letter. She knew that what Hanabusa assumed was false, this letter was addressed to her, not Kouko. But Haru didn’t see the point to say it. It won’t clear Shiena, since it was supposedly her who wrote this letter. Suddenly, Haru realised that it’s impossible for Shiena to have committed the murder, because of something that was said earlier.

“Isuke-san, you said that you met Kaminaga-san before her death, and that you saw Shiena-san after. Where exactly did you see both of them?” Haru asked.

“Isuke met Kaminaga-san near the cafeteria, and I saw Kenmochi-san going inside her dorm room.” the pink haired girl answered.

“So it’s impossible for Shiena-san to have committed the murder! Kaminaga-san probably died shortly after you met her, while Shiena-san was about to go inside her room. It’s obvious that when you saw Shiena-san, Kaminaga-san was being…murdered by the true culprit.”

“But the letter…” Nio tried to say.

“Don’t you see the truth? Shiena-san was definitely framed by the culprit! Kaminaga-san’s killer stole Shiena-san’s glasses and put them on the crime scene and wrote that letter with her name to make it look like she’s the culprit.” Haru argued.

“And do you have proof that this letter wasn’t written by Kenmochi-san?” Sumireko insisted.

Haru stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about a proof. There must be a way to prove that Shiena wasn’t the author of the letter. Suddenly, Haru found a proof, about the way the hacker spoke.

“Did one of you have heard Shiena-san used the suffix ‘san’?” Haru asked.

No one answered, which confirmed Haru’s thought.

“Shiena-san never use suffix. If the letter was written by her, there won’t have ‘san’ on it! And on top of that, it would be pretty stupid of her to let this letter on the crime scene. This is why I’m convinced that Shiena-san is innocent!” Haru declared.

“Very well, Ichinose-san. I admit that my theory was wrong, but I won’t apologise. It’s important to follow every leads possible if we want to survive.” Sumireko said.

“I told you! It’s this Monokuma freak that killed her…” Kenmochi try to say.

“I’m sorry, Shiena-san, but I don’t think it’s true. Unfortunately, the culprit must be one of us.” Haru sadly said.

“Hey, Hanabusa-san, you said that two people lied about their alibi. Who’s the other one? Let me guess, a certain person that mysteriously disappeared when the body was discovered?” Nio suddenly said with enthusiasm.

“Oh, you mean…the one who wasn’t there during the investigation?” Otoya added.

Haru didn't like how the discussion was evolving.

“Oh yes, that’s true. If Kenmochi-san isn’t the culprit, then it means that the other one who lied about their alibi must be the culprit.” Sumireko began to say with a smirk. “Azuma-san, you’re the one who killed Kaminaga-san, aren’t you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haru succeeded to prove Suzu and Shiena's innocence, but what about Tokaku? Is she really the culprit?


	8. Chapter 1: Pointy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a picture to show the configuration of the first class trial: http://img4.hostingpics.net/pics/916833classtrial1.png

Tokaku remained quiet for few seconds, seeming more bothered by the accusation than worried.

“I’ve no idea why you’re suddenly suspecting me, Hanabusa-san.” the blue haired girl replied.

“Don’t play innocent, I know that you lied about you’re alibi, Azuma-san. There’s no way you were in your room at 11pm.” Sumireko maintained.

“Like a thought, the SMSL ??? is definitely the most suspicious one! How can we trust someone who doesn’t want to tell us her talent?” Nio said.

“You can talk, SMSL Trash!” Tokaku replied.

Haru remembered something the lady had said during the investigation. Even if she was sure that Tokaku wasn’t the culprit, she needed to say it to find a way to prove her innocence.

“You said that you saw Tokaku-san outside her room during the night, but it could have been way before 11pm!” Haru replied.

“Indeed, it was around 22h20 when I saw her. She totally broke the curfew to go somewhere.” Sumireko said.

“So she could be back to her room at 11pm…” Haru began to say.

“No, it’s impossible. I didn’t go outside my room since the curfew, and I went to sleep only at 23h30. Since I heard noise and opened my door and saw her running somewhere at 22h20. But I never heard her coming back. Which mean, she never went back to her room before I went to sleep!” Sumireko claimed.

“That isn’t a proof! Tokaku-san maybe didn’t pass near your room…” Haru replied.

“Remember the configuration of our dormitory, Ichinose-san. Then you’ll understand how wrong your statement was.” the lady replied.

Haru tried to remember. Her own room was the first one on the left, and after it was Sumireko’s. The last one was Tokaku’s and the dormitory ended with a dead-end. Haru understood what Hanabusa meant.

“Tokaku-san, she can’t do otherwise than passing if front of your room if she wants to go to hers.” Haru said.

“Exactly! Since I found Azuma-san behaviour suspicious, I stayed quite attentive to any sounds until the moment I fall asleep. So I can assure that Azuma-san wasn’t in her room between 22h20 and 23h30.”

“Wait, did you hear other noises before you went to sleep?” Otoya asked.

“I did. After 11pm, other than Kenmochi-san, I heard three people going inside of their room. But it was on the right side for two of them and one near my room, and Azuma-san’s room is the last one on the left side. I don’t know who those three people were, but I assume it was either Banba-san, Sagae-san, Takechi-san or Shuto-san.”

“So Azuma-san killed Kaminaga-san around 11pm, hided the evidences like the murder weapon, and went back in her room after 23h30! This is why she never showed up during the investigation, she was hiding in her room!” Isuke accused.

“Tokaku-san wasn’t in her room during the investigation! She was in the storage room! When I was investigating with Shiena-san, I met her there.” Haru said.

“I did…see Azuma-san in the storage room. I also saw…a blood stain on the door.” Kenmochi-san added.

Haru tensed. She remembered the blood stain, but she knew that if she had revealed it, it would only make Tokaku looked even more suspicious.

“It’s clear now. Azuma-san killed Kaminaga-san and never went back to her room, she hided in the storage room! Her hands must have been soiled with blood, so she let some on the door without noticing when she closed it.” Sumireko concluded.

“I…didn’t think it was important until now, but couple of days ago, someone went inside the kitchen and when she got out, she was hiding something.” Hitsugi suddenly commented.

“Oh, that make me remember, one kitchen knife is missing since some days.” Haruki said.

Haru felt even more nervous. She remembered an incident she had with the blue haired girl couple of days ago. Certainly not an incident that would make Tokaku looked less culprit-like.

“And who was this person?” Hanabusa asked.

“It was…Azuma-san.” Kirigaya answered.

“Well, it confirms who the culprit is! Azuma-san stabbed Kaminaga-san with a kitchen knife!” Isuke claimed.

Haru remembered an information she learned during the corpse’s investigation that could disprove what the pink haired girl just said.

“It can’t be true! The kitchen knife couldn’t be the murder weapon, because the fatal wound was only 1 centimeter long. Isn’t right, Namatame-san?” Haru declared.

“Indeed, the blade of a kitchen knife would have let a bigger wound.” Chitaru confirmed.

“Then if the kitchen knife isn’t the murder weapon, why the hell did Azuma-san took one from the kitchen?” Isuke shouted frustrated.

“That doesn’t concern you.” Tokaku replied. “It wasn’t to kill Kaminaga-san, so it doesn’t matter to this trial. I guess that now I’m clear…”

“Not so fast! Kaminaga-san maybe wasn’t killed by a kitchen knife, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t the culprit! You weren’t in your room during the time of death, you disappeared, and there’s blood where you were hiding.” Sumireko said.

“So we vote now?” Otoya asked.

Tokaku clenched one of her fists. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she hesitated. Haru knew that if she didn’t say anything, the blue haired girl was going to get voted culprit. She tried to remember something she could have seen in the storage that could prove Tokaku’s innocence. She then remembered a particularity with the storage room’s door.

“Shiena-san, from where the storage room’s door could be locked?” Haru asked.

“It was…from the outside.”

“And did you saw Tokaku-san going inside the storage room after me?”

“No, I was guarding the door and no one except me went inside.”

“And when we arrived, was the door already locked?”

“Yes.”

“So it confirms my doubt. I met Tokaku-san inside the storage room and Shiena-san didn’t see her go inside after me. Since the door was locked when we arrived, it’s evident that Tokaku-san was locked inside! She couldn’t have kill Kaminaga-san because she was trapped inside the storage room!” Haru claimed.

Everyone remained silent for a moment. Tokaku seemed bothered by this revelation.

“That doesn’t make any sense! Azuma-san must have locked herself in the storage room!” Isuke replied.

“No, because the door can only be locked from the outside. This means that someone locked Tokaku-san inside.” Haru said.

“Then how do you explain the blood stain?” Otoya asked.

“I think Tokaku-san should be the one who explain it.” Haru replied. “Tokaku-san, please, I don’t know why you hide this, but you need to tell us everything. If you don’t, you’ll be vote as the culprit and we’ll be all executed.”

The blue haired girl remained quiet for few seconds and sighed with resignation.

“I have been trapped inside the storage room since yesterday night. Ichinose freed me during the investigation. The blood is…mine.” Tokaku said while showing her hand that was hiding in her skirt’s pocket. There had blood on it, and a wound. “I tried to escape by smashing the door, and it didn’t work. So I was frustrated and I punched it…and it injured my hand.”

“Even if it’s a plausible explanation, that doesn’t explain why you went to the storage room in the first place.” Sumireko said.

“I…received a letter from someone and it asked me to meet her in the storage room.” Tokaku replied.

“And you went? It didn’t look suspicious to you?” Hanabusa insisted.

The blue haired girl didn’t reply. Haru remembered the letter she received from the culprit and she had the feeling it must have been sent by the same person.

“Tokaku-san, please, show us the letter.” Haru asked.

With some hesitation, Tokaku took out a piece of paper from her pocket and gave it to Haru.

“You can read it.” the blue haired girl said.

Haru took the letter and began to read it out loud.

“I found something weird in the storage room. It looks like an exit, but I can’t open it. Can you go there? I’ll join you after I found an object that could be useful to open it. – Ichinose Haru.” she read.

Everybody suddenly gazed at Haru with incomprehension.

“What’s the meaning of that?” Isuke asked.

“Could it be…Haru-chi is the culprit!?” Otoya exclaimed.

“That would totally be a reversal of the situation!” Nio said cheerfully.

“ _Tokaku-san…could it be…she hid the fact she was locked because she didn’t want me to be accused?_ ” Haru thought.

“I stop you right there. Ichinose-san can’t be the culprit. I told you that since Azuma-san left her room, I was attentive to every sound. I heard Ichinose-san going outside her room at 22h30, and she went back couple of minutes later, and she didn’t go out again. The two letters are probably written by the culprit and this person put others’ names.”

“Hanabusa-san…?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t try to defend you, I just want to avoid losing time with accusing a person who isn’t the culprit. Don’t forget that our lives are at stakes and that accusing the wrong person could get you all executed. Even if I can admit that Azuma-san is innocent, I wonder why the culprit trapped Azuma-san.”

“Maybe to have someone else to frame if it didn’t work with Kenmochi?” Chitaru theorised.

“Hum, probably. Well, since both Kenmochi-san and Azuma-san are innocent, I think we should try to debate on our alibi.” Sumireko proposed. “Do you have someone that can prove your alibi? Banba-san and Shuto-san were together in the public bath when the murder occurred, so they are innocent.”

“I was with Chitaru-san in my room at 11pm.” Kirigaya said. “We can prove each other innocence.”

“So for the moment, the culprit can’t be Kenmochi-san, Azuma-san, Banba-san, Shuto-san, Ichinose-san, Kirigaya-san and Namatame-san.” Hanabusa concluded.

“What about those who were in their room at 11pm? It’s not like they can prove their alibi, they are the most suspicious one.” Otoya claimed.

“What!? How could you suspect Isuke? I was in really in my room at 11pm!” Kenmochi-san must have seen me went inside…”

“In fact, it didn’t see you Inukai-san. If you saw me going inside my room, you must have been behind me, so I couldn’t see you.” Shiena replied.

“Then Hanabusa-san, you must have heard me going in my room before 11pm, right?” Isuke insisted.

“Well, I heard Kenmochi-san going in her room around 23h05. But you…I didn’t hear you going inside your room. Your room is the last one on the right side, so it’s possible that I couldn’t hear your door. But I did hear your footsteps, but it was slightly after 11pm.” Sumireko said.

“In my case, I met Sagae-san when I exited the bathroom, so I can certify that she was near the vending machines at 11pm.” Otoya said.

“I also saw Takechi-san, so yeah, I think we can prove each other alibi.” Haruki approved.

“So Sagae-san and Takechi-san can’t also be the culprit.” Hanabusa concluded. “And I heard Nio going inside her room before the curfew and she never went out, so she’s also innocent. Which mean…”

“Inukai-san is the culprit!” Otoya exclaimed.

“No, Isuke isn’t! What about Hanabusa-san? Who can prove her alibi!?”

“I think that the fact she knows exactly when we went out of our room is a sufficient proof that she was in her room all this time.” Tokaku replied.

“There had someone else that I heard in the dormitory’s corridor. But it isn’t really relevant to this trial, since this person is no longer alive…” the lady added.

“You mean…Kaminaga-san? You heard her leave?” Haru asked.

“At 22h30, she was talking with you, right? I couldn’t hear well what you were saying, but I think it was because you were trying to break the curfew. Anyway, shortly after you went back inside your room, Kaminaga-san came back. She went inside someone room and left at 22h45. I even opened my door to see if it was really her, and it was.”

“Someone’s room? Not hers?” Chitaru asked.

“No, it was someone else’s room. And I saw which one it was. Kaminaga-san went inside Shuto-san room.” Sumireko confirmed.

Haru glanced at Suzu. The gamester didn’t react, she was still playing her cards game.

“Well, I don’t think it’s really important, since Shuto-san wasn’t there at this moment. Even though I’m curious to know what she was doing here, I don’t think it will help to solve this crime.” Sumireko began to say. “Anyway, I didn’t react about Inukai-san’s alibi being erroneous because I thought that she couldn’t have committed the murder and be back at her room in only five minutes. But since she’s the only one with no alibi for what she was doing at 11pm, I begin to think that maybe it’s a possibility…”

“So we vote for her?” Otoya asked.

“Wait! I think it’s too soon to vote…” Haruki tried to argue.

“You’re all stupid! If Isuke would have killed Kaminaga-san, it would be a lot more clean murder. Like,

no blood. Isuke would have done this in the smart way!” the pink haired girl protested.

 

“Isuke-sama, you’re not helping…”

 

“Before voting, I think that we should at least determine the murder weapon.” Shiena suddenly said.

“Huh, the murder weapon? Wasn’t a knife? It’s already confirmed that it can’t be a kitchen knife, but there’s other kind of knife that could fit the wound. Like a steak knife.” Tokaku replied.

Haru thought about what could have been the murder weapon. She didn’t find an answer, but she knew what couldn’t have been the weapon, because of something she learned during the corpse’s examination.

“Namatame-san, can you describe us what kind of weapon would have caused Kaminaga-san’s wound?” Haru asked.

“It’s probably a pointy object, something that can perforate.”

“Could it be a knife?”

“Hum, now that you make me remember, no it couldn’t be. If she was stabbed with a knife, her skin would have been sliced, not perforate. So the murder weapon needs to be pointy, but not sharp.” Chitaru confirmed.

“Is that really important? Be it a pointy or a sharp object, it doesn’t change the fact that she was murdered and we need to find the culprit!” Otoya said.

“I think there are plenty pointy objects that aren’t sharp in the kitchen.” Sumireko added.

“But did you find an object that could have been the murder weapon on the crime scene? Or anywhere else in the school? Because I didn’t.” Kenmochi insisted.

“I…saw something in the classroom…that could be used as a weapon. But it’s probably not the murder weapon…” Mahiru weakly said.

Haru remembered an object she saw in the classroom that Banba seemed to be obsessed with, especially about the possibility of using it to smash someone’s head.

“Are you talking about…the lead pipe?” Haru asked.

“Yes, that…”

“Wait, a lead pipe? Isuke didn’t see it!”

“Well, Isuke-sama, it’s not like you stayed really long on the crime scene…”

“This lead pipe seems to intrigue you, I wonder why.” Nio said.

“Remember when I said I met Kaminaga-san near the cafeteria? Well, she was holding a lead pipe.” Isuke revealed.

“What? And it’s just now that you tell us about it!?” Shiena exclaimed. “You didn’t find this suspicious?”

“It’s not like it could have been related to the murder, so Isuke didn’t consider that it was relevant. And I thought that Kaminaga only had it to look more intimidating, to enforce her class rep authority during her patrol.”

Haru remembered that, after the curfew, Kouko was always doing a patrol for one hour, to be sure that everyone was in their room sleeping. She really wanted to make sure that everyone was safe. This thought only brought more feelings of guilt to Haru.

“Anyway, this lead pipe is definitely not the murder weapon, so it’s not important to talk about it. It’s clear that Inukai-san is the culprit. We shouldn’t lose any more time and vote now!” Otoya said.

“Isuke isn’t the culprit!” the pink haired girl protested.

Haru couldn’t stop thinking about the murder weapon. Was it really okay to not confirm what it was? Maybe there was an important clue about it that could prove if weather or not Isuke was really the culprit.

“Maybe the murder weapon was under our eyes since the beginning but you didn’t notice, because you don’t view it as a weapon.”

Everybody became quiet and looked at the person who said that with surprise and even consternation. It was the first time since the class trial…no, since the body discovery, that Suzu talked.

“Oh, she can speak! I thought that she became suddenly mute or something.” Nio commented.

Suzu became silent again and went back to her cards game like nothing had happened.

“ _Shuto-san…is she talking about someone? Who?_ ” Haru thought, before she examined everyone in the room carefully. “ _I see, there’s only one person here who could fit Shuto-san’s statement. I don’t want to accuse her too soon, but this person might be the culprit…_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION!


	9. Chapter 1: The culprit is...

Haru took a deep breath and glared at the person who was at the seat number 8.

"Takechi-san…can you show us your scissors please?" Haru asked.

All the gazed suddenly turned toward the SMSL Florist.

"Huh? Why do you want to see my scissors?" Otoya asked with a confused look.

"Just took it out of their case and show them." Haru insisted.

Takechi looked rather unsure, but she finally took them out and showed them. The scissors were clean and Otoya maintained them open.

"Satisfied now?" the florist asked.

Haru wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to suspect Otoya, she couldn't believe she would have done something like killing someone.

"Those scissors…there could have been the murder weapon!" Chitaru suddenly stated.

"What? Are you idiot? Scissors aren't just a pointy object, there are sharp too! So they can't be the murder weapon." Otoya protested.

"Not if you maintained them closed! The blades are only sharp on one side, if you let them closed, there could be us to perforate." the fencer insisted.

Takeshi looked quite annoyed by Namatame's insinuation.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter! I've a certify alibi, so I can't be the culprit. Doubting me would be like doubting Sagae-san's alibi too!" Otoya replied.

Haru remembered Haruki's alibi. At 11pm, the redhead was supposedly at the vending machines, and she saw Takechi coming out from the bathroom when she was on way back to her room. But was it really true? Haru couldn't believe Haruki would have lied, but maybe there's another explanation.

"Haruki-san, are you sure you were at the vending machines at 11pm precisely?" Haru asked. "Because when you told us your alibi, you said that you were 'probably' at the vending machines."

"Huh, yes, I think that I was there at 11pm, but since I didn't really check the hour, I'm not sure. But I know that at some point, I was there around 11pm." the redhead answered.

"'Around'…it's not enough. Sagae-san, is there someone here who could certify your alibi other than Takechi-san?" Sumireko asked.

"Hum, I don't think so…" Haruki replied.

"I…saw Sagae-san going back to her room." Mahiru suddenly said.

"Really? But you were in the public bath until 23h15! Which mean…it was passed 11pm when you say Haruki-san." Haru replied.

"So, Inukai-san, Sagae-san and Takechi-san doesn't have alibi anymore. But between those three, Takechi-san is the most suspicious one. After all, she carries a weapon that fit Kaminaga-san's wound." Sumireko claimed.

"Hey, this accusation is unfair! Those scissors are my work tool, of course I'll have them on me all the time. And it's not like there are the only pointy object here! There are plenty of them in the kitchen, the culprit could have picked the murder weapon there!" the SMSL Florist protested.

"But we didn't find any bloody pointy object during the investigation, do we?" Hitsugi replied.

"The culprit could have put it back in the kitchen before the investigation!" Otoya claimed.

Haru knew that it couldn't be true, something was wrong with her statement.

"The culprit couldn't have put back the murder weapon in the kitchen, because the kitchen is locked during night time!" Haru declared. "Haruki-san saw it and so do I!"

"Ah, it's true! That's why I went to the vending machines instead." the redhead confirmed.

"I see, so the kitchen is closed from 10pm to 7am. Even if the culprit took the murder weapon from the kitchen, it would be impossible to put it back, since the investigation started around 6am. It's safe to assume that if we didn't find the murder weapon, the culprit must still have it on her." Sumireko concluded.

"That's bullshit! And my scissors aren't bloody! There couldn't be the murder weapon…" Takechi tried to argue.

"You could have wash them…weren't you in the public bathroom? You could have done this there." Tokaku replied.

"Now that we talk about this, why were you in the public bathroom in the first place? We have private bathroom in our room." Sumireko commented.

"My toilet's flush is broken so I couldn't use it!" Otoya replied. "Haru-chi, why aren't you helping me? You defended everyone else who were suspected earlier…"

Haru couldn't reply anything. She suddenly felt bad. She did defend everyone, even though they had a lot of evidence against them, just like Takechi, and they were proved to be innocent. Maybe it was the same thing with Otoya…

"What a disappointment. Even though Kouko-chan let a clue before dying, you didn't even noticed. So disappointing. Have you even looked at her corpse?"

It was the second time Suzu spoke during the class trial. Haru looked at her and noticed that she seemed to have finished her cards game.

Haru tried to remember Kouko's corpse. Was there some kind of dying message? Maybe it was something with the posture of her body? Maybe her hands…It was at this moment that Haru remembered a game she used to play when she was a kid: Rock, paper, scissors.

"That's it! Kaminaga-san's right hand is the clue! Her hand was closed, except for her index and middle fingers. It's like…she was making the scissors' symbol with her hand! She was trying to show us what the murder weapon was." Haru understood.

"What!? That's ridiculous! And Shuto-san, stop talking only to say those kinds of stupid things! Maybe someone is hiding a weapon on them!" Takechi argued.

"It would be pretty stupid for the culprit to hide the murder weapon on themselves. In your case, you always have scissors on you, so you shouldn't feel the need to hide them somewhere else than in their case on your belt." Sumireko commented.

Haru took stock of the situation. Everyone except Isuke, Haruki and Otoya had an alibi. It was hard to believe that Isuke could have committed the murder and be near her room in only 5 minutes. Haru had met the redhead before she went to the vending machines, and Banba saw her coming back after 11pm. Knowing that the place where the vending machines were wasn't near the cafeteria, it was hard to believe that Haruki could be the culprit.

Otoya on the other hand could have done the murder. Her reason to be in the public bathroom was fishy, she had a weapon that fit Kouko's wound on her, and the victim's hand seemed to show that the murder weapon was a scissors. Even if it was painful for her to admit it, Takechi was probably the culprit.

"I'm sorry, Takechi-san, but if you don't provide any evidence that prove your innocence, Haru will vote for you as the blackened."

Otoya looked shocked for a moment and let out a small nervous giggle, before showing a furious expression.

"Proving my innocence? You didn't even prove that I'm guilty! Innocent until proven guilty, don't you know this concept? And what the fuck with the scissors' symbol? That doesn't prove jack shit! It could have been a coincidence! Or she was making a peace sign? Like she died in peace? Ridicule, her hand had no secret meaning! What about her other hand that was open? Are you gonna say it was the paper symbol? That she was killed by a piece of paper? That would be stupid! You have no other proof that I'm the culprit!" the florist shouted angrily.

Takechi, she really lost her temper. The majority of what she said didn't make sense. Despite that, Haru tried to find a contradiction with what Otoya said and what she knew, something that would force her to admit her crime and convinced everyone else of her guiltiness. Haru finally found a proof, but she hesitated. If she told them what she knew, she would be forced to admit a truth she hid. But if she says nothing, the identity of the culprit couldn't be proven.

"That's wrong ( _Sore wa chigau yo_ )!" Haru uttered. "There's another proof, and it prove that there's only you who could have done the murder."

"Something that prove that only Takechi-san could have killed Kaminaga-san? I'm curious to hear it." Sumireko said.

"Remember the letter you found on Kaminaga-san's corpse? It…wasn't addressed to her. It's the reason why I tried to break the curfew, before Kaminaga-san stopped me. The letter…was addressed to Haru."

"What!? So, the culprit wanted to kill Ichinose, not Kaminaga?" Chitaru said.

"Isuke thought that the culprit chose the class rep because she was annoying with her rules." the SMSL Kick-Boxer commented.

"And how the fact that this letter was addressed to you rather than to Kaminaga prove that it could only be Takechi?" Shiena asked.

"I think I understand…Is it because of what I said to Takechi in the inner garden?" Tokaku asked.

"Yes, it's exactly why! It's obvious that the culprit tried to make sure that Tokaku-san wouldn't be in the way! This is why the culprit trapped her in the storage room!" Haru said.

"I'm not sure to understand…what Azuma-san said in the inner garden?" Haruki asked.

"I said to Takechi…that I'm going to protect Ichinose." the blue haired girl replied.

"And Tokaku-san, did you say that to someone else?"

"No. The only people who know that I want to protect you are you and Takechi."

"Huh, Azuma-san swore to protect Haru-chan? I smell some kind of romance. Haha, gross." Nio commented with a cheerful expression.

"Anyway, if the culprit intended to kill me and needed for that to lock Tokaku-san, then it means that it can only be Takechi-san. There's only her who could think of doing that!" Haru declared.

"Nonsense! We weren't the only ones in the inner garden, someone else could have heard Azuma-san…" Otoya tried to argue.

"We were only you, myself and Ichinose when I say that. Kenmochi, Namatame and Kirigaya arrived later." Tokaku replied.

"And the both three have an alibi." Sumireko added.

"That's unfair! You only accused me because I've scissors on me! Even if it wasn't Kaminaga-san who died, you would all accuse me only because of that!" Takechi protested.

"That's not true! We don't accuse you only because of your scissors, but because the wound fit them!" Chitaru replied.

"Who can prove that Haru-chi didn't lie about the letter? You can't, because the name was hiding by blood!" Otoya yelled.

"It's pretty unlikely that Ichinose-san lied. And she never broke the curfew until yesterday, so it would explain why. And I did hear her talking with Kaminaga-san." Hanabusa replied.

"What about Sagae-san and Inukai-san? They don't have alibi either!"

"That's true, but judging by the place they were shortly after the murder, it's really unlikely that they could have killed Kaminaga-san" Haru said.

Otoya stopped talking. Everyone gazed at her, Suzu even stared at her coldly. The florist clenched her fists and uttered a scream of rage.

"I'm not the culprit! You're all wrong, you fucking idiots! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"Oh my, how unsightly of you. Even if you're cornered, you still resist. Ichinose-san, would you mind to make the truth clear?" Sumireko asked.

Haru hesitated for a moment. She didn't really want to be the one who do that, but if nobody does, Otoya will continued to deny the truth and some people could be inclined to do so too. She needed to do it to prove once and for all and without any doubt the true identity of the culprit.

"At some point yesterday night, the culprit stole Shiena-san's glasses when she was in the public bath. After, the culprit let a letter to Tokaku-san, asking her to join her in the storage room and used my name to lure her. At 22h20, Tokaku-san discovered the letter and went to the storage room. The culprit must have been hidden near the storage room and when Tokaku-san went inside, she locked her inside, taking advantage of the fact that the handle could only be locked from the outside. The culprit did this in order to make sure that Tokaku-san couldn't get in her way.

The culprit then let me a letter, asking me to go see her in the classroom near the cafeteria. I discovered the letter around 22h30. The culprit used Shiena-san's name. When I tried to go to the classroom, Kaminaga-san stopped me, because I was breaking the curfew. I showed her the letter and she decided to go in my stead. I went back in my room and go to sleep. It seemed that Kaminaga-san came back shortly after and went inside Shuto-san's room until 22h45 for an unknown reason. Since she was suspecting the letter to be a trap, she probably tried to find something to defend herself and found a lead pipe. She then met Isuke-san near the cafeteria and told her to go back to her room, which Isuke-san did.

Kaminaga-san went inside the classroom and met the culprit. Even if it wasn't the person she expected, the culprit decided to kill her. Kaminaga-san probably tried to protect herself with the lead pipe. The culprit probably replied and injured her arm, before stabbing her in the stomach with a pair of scissors. Before dying, Kaminaga-san made the scissors' symbol with her right hand to give us a clue about the culprit's identity. She died at 11pm. The culprit broke Shiena's glasses and let them near the corpse in order to frame her.

Before going back to her room, the culprit went to the public bathroom to wash her bloody scissors. When she went out, she met Haruki-san around 23h15. Haruki-san went back to her room, while the culprit went to the vending machines, probably to wait there some time and be sure that everyone was sleeping before she went back to her room." Haru explained. She then sighed and looked at Takechi. "And the culprit is none other than you, Takechi Otoya, the Super Middle School Level Florist!"

Otoya began to shake with a petrify look on her face.

"Oh my, you won't say anything? So you admit that what Ichinose-san said is true? You don't have any objection?" Sumireko said with a smirk.

"Objection you said…? If I have objection…of course that I have!" Takechi shouted with fury. "I didn't want to kill Kaminaga-san, she's the one who attacked my with a lead pipe dammit! I only stabbed her to protect myself, it was self-defence!"

"So she finally admits it. This annoying class trial can finally end." Isuke said.

Haru felt some doubts. Was it true, that Kouko attacked Otoya first? Even if it was the case, it didn't change the fact that she killed her, she was definitely the culprit.

"Monokuma…I think we are ready to vote." Haru said with regret.

"Oh, really? Is the majority of you ready to vote? No one speak? I guess I'll take that for a yes!" Monokuma exclaimed. "Everyone, open your desk, the buttons to vote are inside."

With some hesitation, Haru lift the top of her desk and discovered 13 buttons, all numbered. She spotted the one with the number 8 on it and hesitated for a moment, before pressing it. She then closed her desk. Some kind of graphic appeared on the screen, showing that eleven people vote for Otoya was the blackened and one person vote for Haru. The graphic suddenly disappeared and Monokuma's figure appeared again.

"Congratulation everyone! You guessed right, the culprit who killed Kaminaga Kouko is indeed Takechi Otoya!" Monokuma said cheerfully.

Everyone remained quiet for few seconds, while Otoya looked pissed and terrified at the same time.

"It…can't be true, right, Takechi? You…you really killed Kaminaga…and tried to frame me?" Shiena asked with a pained expression.

Takechi began stoic for few seconds, before her mouth distorted to become a malicious and insane smile.

"Well of course my dear Shiena-chan! And you know what's funny about that? I had planned that if Haru-chi wouldn't have shown up, I would have killed you instead and framed Azuma-san. Without your glasses, you would have been an easy target, but I see that you had some spares. You always have been my plan B after Haru-chi." Otoya revealed before laughing with cruelty.

Shiena began to shake while her eyes were about to tearing up.

"That's enough, Takechi! It's over, you lost. So tell me, for what wish of yours did Kouko-chan died?" Suzu suddenly asked.

Even if the gamester seemed calm, Haru could see grudge in her eyes.

"My wish? Is doesn't matter anymore, I was discovered. I'll just tell you that it was some kind of insurance for my activities. Anyway, I'm not the true responsible of Kaminaga-san's death. The true culprit is Haru-chi! If she didn't let Kaminaga-san meet me, or trust my letter, she wouldn't have died…"

"Shut up! Don't blame Ichinose for your crime, you psycho!" Tokaku shouted angrily.

"…but it's also her own fault if she died. If that bitch didn't attack me, I would have pretended that I only wanted to talk with Haru-chi and she would have still been alive." Otoya added with an evil grin.

"So you really are unredeemable. I knew that you were the culprit, but I didn't know how horrible you are." Shuto said. "Even if it was an act of self-defence, you still intended to kill Ichinose-san…"

"Ok, enough talking, it's time for the punishment! Execution time!" Monokuma said happily.

"What? Like hell I'm going to let myself get executed! Not even the police succeeded to arrest me and get me executed, so it's not like a creepy dude in a bear costume will succeeded!" Otoya shouted. "And the true culprit is Haru-chi, it's all her fault. She's the one who should die! I'll happily take care of her execution!"

Otoya suddenly jumped above her desk and rushed toward Haru, holding her scissors. Tokaku went in front of Haru, ready to protect her. But before Takechi could do anything, a collar connected to a rope suddenly grabbed her neck.

"What the…" was the only thing the florist had the time to say.

The rope suddenly drew Otoya. A secret door had opened, the rope was coming from there. For a reason she couldn't explain, Haru tried to reach the florist.

"Takechi-san!" she called.

But it was too late. Takechi fell on the floor and the rope drew her inside of a corridor that was behind the secret door. Haru followed her, and the others did the same.

* * *

The rope drew Otoya in another inner garden. The florist found herself shoved against a tree and tied up with brambles and thorny roses. Her hair went undone because of impact. The thorns sank in her skins, making her slightly bleed. Takechi groaned in pain and tried to free herself, but it only made the thorns injuring her even more. There had white adeniums at her feet around the tree. A screen was there, showing the inscription: " _Florist Arrangement_ ".

Suddenly, a bunch of what seemed to be teddy bears looking similar to Monokuma surrounded the tree were Otoya was tied to. They were all holding scissors. They approached from the florist, like they wanted to free her by cutting the brambles and roses.

But it wasn't only that. The Monokumas did cut some of them, but they also cut what was under them. Otoya was being stabbed multiple times by the Monokumas' scissors. She uttered terrible screams of pain and bleed intensely. None of the stabs were at a vital point, but if she continued to bleed like this, she will die soon.

One of the Monokumas suddenly stabbed her in the stomach, while the others continued to mutilate her. Otoya screamed from agony and cough up blood, before closing her eyes. It wasn't clear if it was the stab in her stomach or the loss of blood that killed her, but she was definitely dead.

The SMSL Florist's corpse was hanging after the tree, all bloody. The adeniums were now almost as red as the roses around her body. There had some small pink flowers in the tree, which embellished the beautiful yet gruesome flower arrangement Otoya had became.

A fence around the garden had prevented Haru to follow Takechi. The other Class Black's students were also there. They all watched this brutal execution without being able to intervene.

Contrary to her rather stoic attitude, Tokaku seemed shocked by the sight of Otoya's mutilated body. Isuke also seemed shocked, but also disgusted. Hitsugi couldn't see, because Namatame was blocking her eyes with her hands. Shiena's face began blue like she was about to throw off. Haruki looked like she couldn't believe was she seen. Suzu was completely emotionless. Chitaru had a horrified look on her face. Nio was gazing the corpse with a gloomy expression. Sumireko looked away, seeming uncomfortable. Mahiru seemed to be about to pass out.

Haru fell on her knees. What she saw was just too horrible. Even after what Otoya had done, Haru considered that no one desired such a cruel fate. Her vision became blurry and her mind fuzzy, like she was about to fall unconscious. But before she could let herself fell into darkness, she suddenly heard a voice.

"Upupu…the despair on your faces is magnificent. It seems that everything went according to the plan, just like expected." Monokuma said.

_Survivors remaining: 11_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ships remaining: 4
> 
> More seriously, I feel so bad after writing this (but I enjoyed it!), I need to write some AnR shipping fics to appease my despairful heart and to bring me some hope. Even if I really like Otoya, I must admit that it was pleasant to kill her in this story.
> 
> 6 chapters for one DR chapter, and I need to do that 5 other times! And I thought that I could do the class trial in one chapter, how naive I was.
> 
> Trivia: Kouko wasn't supposed to be the first victim, I change to her while writing chapter 3 because I considered that the original first victim (which I won't tell you the identify now) could have an interesting plotline for this story. Otoya was always meant to be the first culprit, even if it was predictable. I just can't see someone more fitted to be the first one to commit murder than our dear serial killer.
> 
> (Outtake) Sumireko: Tell them Ichinose!
> 
> And Haru did the protag thing: Sore wa chigau yo!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like this first Akuma no Ronpa's chapter, and see you next time!


	10. Chapter 2: What shouldn't exist

Haru was lying in her bed, unable to fall asleep but too tired and exhausted to do anything else. Two of her classmates had died in only two days. Kouko was killed yesterday of a fatal stab wound in the stomach, and her murderer, Otoya, was executed today and died mutilated by several scissors.

After the class trial, everyone went back to their room, even though it wasn’t even midday. Mahiru had finally lost consciousness due to stress, and Sumireko took care of bringing her back to her room. Shiena had a panic attack and only calmed herself when Chitaru comforted her. The other ones remained silent and left. Even Monokuma disappeared shortly after the execution. Too shaken by what happened, Haru went back to her room and didn’t get out all day. It was now 18h and Haru tried to go to sleep to stop thinking about what recently happened, in vain.

Suddenly, someone knocked at her door. Haru rose up from her bed and went opened the door. It was Tokaku, who was holding a bag.

“Tokaku-san, what…?”

“Ichinose, can I come in?”

“Huh…sure.”

Haru had hesitated for a moment. She remembered the last time that the blue haired girl asked to come inside her room, she had tried to kill her with a kitchen knife. But now, Haru trusted Tokaku. She had faith that Tokaku wasn’t the kind of person who could commit murder.

The SMSL ??? entered inside her room. Haru closed the door behind her and head toward her bedroom. Tokaku followed her, leaving her bag near the door.

“Ichinose, are you alright?”

“I…I don’t know. Kaminaga-san and…Takechi-san, they died. And it’s all my fault…”

“Don’t say that! It’s not your fault. It’s Takechi who killed Kaminaga, it has nothing to do with you.”

“Yes it does! Kaminaga, she…she met Takechi-san in the classroom because she knew that it was a trap, she did this to protect me. I’m tired of people dying because of me! If I wouldn't have trust the letter, she would still be alive, both of them…”

Haru suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapped around her. It took her a moment to understand that Tokaku was giving her a (inexperienced) hug.

“Please, don’t say it’s your fault. Kaminaga chose to risk her life, so don’t blame yourself for her own choice. And even if none of you would have met Takechi in the classroom, someone else would have died instead. Takechi was clear, she intended to kill someone. If it wasn’t you, she would have killed Kenmochi or someone else. So it’s not your fault, whatever you would have done, Takechi would still have killed someone.”

Haru felt some appeasement from Tokaku’s words and hugged her back.

“Thank you, Tokaku-san.”

“No need to thanks me. And if you want to cry, feel free to do so.”

Haru was really tempted to cry, but she succeeded to stop her eyes from tearing.

“No, I won’t! Haru had sworn that she won’t cry anymore! I already broke my resolve when Kaminaga-san died, but I won’t do it anymore. For all the people who died for my sake, Haru must be brave and survive with a smile! Because…everyone always told me that they loved my smile.”

Haru released the blue haired girl and showed her a sweet smile, which made Tokaku blushed a little.

“It’s…true. Smiling suits you better than crying.”

It was Haru’s turn to blush.

“A-Anyway, what’s up this bag?” Haru asked.

“It contains my stuff. Well, the bare minimum.”

“Ok…and why?”

“To move in here, of course.”

Haru felt her heart racing.

“You want to be Haru’s roommate!? Isn’t it against the rule?”

“The rule is that we’re not allowed to sleep somewhere else than in the dormitory. Nothing forbids sleeping in someone else room. Namatame and Kirigaya do it all the time.”

For a reason she couldn’t explain, Haru felt some kind of nostalgia from the thought of sharing a room with Tokaku.

“It would be easier to protect you if I live with you. And I’m well prepared.” the blue haired girl said before showing a knife that she was hiding in her boot.

“A knife again!?”

“It’s a boning knife, I exchanged it with the kitchen knife. This one is smaller, it’s easier to hide it on myself.”

Haru couldn’t stop herself from thinking that it was weird for Tokaku to think about hiding a weapon on her, but she didn’t say it out loud.

“I see that you’re already in pajama, I suppose that you were trying to sleep. We can go to bed if you want. I couldn’t sleep in the storage room, so I’m also tired.”

“Huh!? You mean…sleeping in the same bed?!” Haru exclaimed.

“Well…yes. But it’s true that it’s a single person bed. If it bothers you, I can sleep on the floor…”

“No! It’s fine, you can sleep…in my bed.”

“Very well. Let me just change clothes.”

Tokaku untied her tie and removed it, before beginning to unbutton her shirt, much to Haru’s embarrassment and confusion.

“Tokaku-san!? What are you doing?!”

“Huh? Isn’t obvious? I’m changing clothes…”

“Don’t do that in the middle of the room, at least go in the bathroom…”

“Why? We’re both girls, I don’t see the problem…if it bothers you, you can go in your bed, I’ll join you soon.”

Haru pouted a little and went back to her bedroom. She slipped inside her bed and went under her blanket, before sighing.

“ _Geez, Tokaku-san…she can be so insensitive and oblivious! She’s kind of acting like…a boy. But…that also give her…a cute side._ ” she thought.

Haru felt her heart racing faster. She couldn’t understand why she felt that way. She did consider Tokaku as a friend, but she didn’t know her enough to have _those_ kinds of feelings…right?

“Ichinose, I’m here.”

The blue haired girl slipped under the blanket, lying alongside Haru. Due to the bed’s size, she could feel Tokaku’s warmth, their bodies were almost touching. Haru’s heart was beating faster and stronger, there was no way she could fall asleep in her current state.

Suddenly, she felt a hand gently grabbing hers. Haru turned back and saw that it was Tokaku, who was gazing her with a concerned look.

“Ichinose, are you nervous?”

“N-No…I don’t know why, but me heart won’t stop pounding.”

“You don’t have to be worried, I’ll protect you no matter what. I’m a light sleeper, so if someone tries to break inside your room, I’ll wake up. So don’t be scared, because I’m by your side.”

Haru smiled a little. Even if it wasn’t why she felt that way, she still appreciated Tokaku’s attempt to reassure her. She closed her eyes and snuggled against the blue haired girl.

“ _Tokaku-san’s heart…is also pounding._ ”

Rocked by Tokaku’s heartbeat, Haru let herself sank into the sweet darkness of slumber and finally fell asleep.

* * *

 

_“Ichinose, here you need to write that, and there you write this…”_

_Haru couldn’t see well. She noticed that she must be sitting on a chair in front of a table, with someone else by her side._

_“This voice…could it be…” she thought._

_Haru tried to move, but she couldn’t. It was like she was trapped inside her own body. Suddenly, words came out of her mouth, but she couldn’t control what she said. It was like she was programmed to say that._

_“Wow, it works! You really are amazing, Kaminaga-kaichô!” Haru said. “Thank you for helping me with my math homework.”_

_“It’s nothing, no needs to thank me. I’m only doing my duty. As the class representative, I’ve to make sure that everybody in my class will graduate.”_

_“But really, you’re truly amazing! Is there anything you can’t do?”_

_“Hum, well…there’s something I’m not good at…” Kouko replied._

_“Huh, really? Haru doesn’t believe you! What it is?”_

_“I…can’t say it. But, according to my senpai, it’s maybe better this way…Anyway, next question…”_

_Everything became dark. It was a matter of seconds before the surroundings changed. Even if her sight was terribly blurry, Haru noticed that she must be in some kind of garden. Someone was in front of her, but she couldn’t see her face. This person put something in Haru’s hair._

_“Ah, I knew that this flower would suit you! You’re so cute, Haru-chi!”_

_Haru couldn’t still control her body or speak of her own. If she could, she would have run away immediately._

_“So beautiful, just a like a flower…but you will eventually fades, this is the fate of all living things.”_

_“Takechi-san…?”_

_“This is why, before that happen, I must cut…”_

_Otoya’s hand that was holding her scissors began to shake. The florist suddenly turned back, while grabbing her shaky hand._

_“Ah, that was a close one. That’s not good. I can’t do that. After all, I made a promise with her…” Takechi mumbled._

Haru woke up. It took her a moment to understand that it was just a dream. She felt something wet on her cheeks. She touched them and discovered that it was tears. She had cried during her sleep.

“ _I can’t let Tokaku-san see them._ ” she thought while wiping her tears.

Haru thought about her dream. Maybe if they were still alive and not trapped in this killing game, Haru could have lived the moments she dreamt about with Kouko and Otoya. This thought only made her even sadder.

“ _But still…who was this senpai that Kaminaga-san was talking about? And with who did Takechi-san made a promise? I don’t know, I shouldn’t be able to dream about things I don’t know…so, was it really just a dream…?_ ”

But before she could think about it more, she heard a voice calling her.

“Ichinose?”

Haru turned her hand and discovered that Tokaku was awake. The blue haired girl straightened up and sat. Haru could see that she was wearing a black t-shirt with a little bunny on it. She giggled a little, forgetting her worries and sadness that she was feeling not so long ago.

“What’s funny?”

“Your t-shirt, it’s cute. It really suits you.” Haru replied.

“Why?”

“Well, your name begins with the kanji of rabbit, right?”

“My name is written with the kanji rabbit and horn. Rabbit’s horn. It’s an expression for something that’s impossible. Or it can also mean ‘something that shouldn't even exist’.”

“Huh? That sounds sad. Why your parents gave you that name?”

“I don’t know, I never met them. My mother died when I was a baby and I never saw my father’s face.”

Haru felt sadness again, thinking that she shouldn’t have brought out this subject.

“ _Tokaku-san, just like Haru, she doesn’t have a family anymore…_ ”

Feeling bad for her, she suddenly hugged the blue haired girl.

“Ichinose…?”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologise, I’m not sad. Anyway, what time is it?”

Haru released her and looked at her clock.

“Passed 7am.”

“So the cafeteria should be open. We should go, you probably didn’t eat a lot yesterday, you must be hungry.”

Haru wanted to protest, but her stomach suddenly gurgled, which made her blushed from embarrassment.

“See? Stay here and put you uniform, I’ll changed clothes too.”

Tokaku left the bedroom and head toward the bathroom. Haru got out from her bed and began to undress. She glanced at her many scars on her body.

“ _I can’t let Tokaku-san see them, otherwise she’ll be worried._ ”

When she wasn’t in her pajama anymore, Haru put her blue skirt and her white shirt.

“Ichinose? I’ve finished, I’ll wait you in the kitchen.”

Haru quickly put her beige vest.

“I’m coming, Tokaku-san!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After what's happened in the previous chapters, the poor author's heart needs some cute moments.  
> I've the feeling that when I'll finish this story, I'll have feel so much despair while writing it that I will become an Ultimate Despair.


	11. Chapter 2: It could've been great

They were people missing in the cafeteria, and it wasn't only the two who were dead. Suzu and Shiena were absent. Haru felt bad for them. The gamester really seemed to appreciate Kouko, her death must have saddened her terribly. Though, Haru couldn't stop thinking that Shuto's behaviour during the class trial was odd. She had been too calm, barely participating, playing a cards game, but dropping some important clues at the same time. It's like…she already knew from the beginning who were the culprit but decided to remain quiet about it.

Haru also pitied the hacker. Even if she was sometime treating Otoya like a nuisance, Shiena did seem to genuinely want to befriend the florist. It must have been painful for Kenmochi to discover that not only Takechi tried to frame her, but also planned to kill her if she failed to murder Haru, and of top of that, she had to witness her gruesome death. No wonder why she had a panic attack after the execution.

"Good morning, Haru-chan, Azuma-san!" Nio greeted them cheerfully.

The blonde girl showed them her usual cat-like smile. Haru wondered how she could stay so positive despite all that happened, and concluded that Hashiri must be an optimistic person.

"Good morning, Nio." Haru replied politely.

"Why are you acting so happy? That's disgusting." Tokaku replied.

Nio's smile changed to become a wide grin.

"No need to be so harsh, nee-san. I just want to be friend with you. You should take example on Haru-chan, she's such a friendly person!"

"Who do you call nee-san? Just the thought of being somehow related to you disgusts me." the blue haired girl said coldly.

"Kya, so mean! I'm gonna cry…" Nio replied with what seemed to be a fake sad expression.

"You shouldn't talk with such a scary person, come spend time with Isuke instead." the SMSL Kick-Boxer offered with a sweet smile.

"Ah, Isuke-san, you're such a nice person!" Hashiri said.

Suddenly, the pink haired girl gave a powerful flick of the finger on Nio's forehead.

"It's Isuke-sama for you." she replied with a sadistic smirk.

"Oh, another stinky person." Tokaku commented.

"Who do you call stinky!? And aren't you too old to use such a childish insult? How old are you?" Isuke asked with an offended look.

"15." the blue haired girl replied.

"Well Isuke's 19, so I'm older than you. You should treat me with respect."

"Huh, 19? And you're still in middle school?" Tokaku said.

"Isuke had to repeat some classes. Not my fault if school is so boring that I slept most of the time."

"Huh, you repeated classes , Isuke-sama? Me too! Actually, I'm 18! Since you're older, should I call you Isuke onee-sama instead?" Haruki said with a cheerful grin.

"Please, don't. If you do, Isuke will have to break some of your bones." she said sweetly.

"Haha, I was only joking. But, I wonder about Namatame-san. Maybe she's in the same situation as us." the redhead said.

"Hey, Namatame-san! How old are you?" Isuke asked.

Chitaru, who was sitting next to Kirigaya at a table, turned back when her name was said.

"15, why?" the SMSL Fencer replied.

"Me too!" Hitsugi added.

Everyone became suddenly quiet, gazing at Chitaru and Hitsugi, like they couldn't believe what they just learned.

"Oh my, what a lovely discussion. Mind if I join?" Sumireko said.

The SMSL Lady approached them, followed by Banba, who was hiding behind her.

"Ah, Hanabusa-san, about the meeting tonight, I wasn't able to speak with Shuto-san and Kenmochi-san about it. They stayed in their rooms since what happened yesterday…" Nio said.

"Huh? What meeting?" Haru asked.

"Ah right, I didn't told you guys! It because of Azuma-san's rudeness that I forgot…Anyway, it was actually Namatame-san's idea, so she should explain it." Hashiri replied.

"We're going to have a class meeting tonight, to talk about…what happened yesterday, and try to find a way to avoid that something like that happen again." Chitaru explained. "It will be at 22pm in the sitting room."

"I'll take care to inform Shuto-san." Sumireko said. "Everyone needs to be there. Those who don't come will be seen as doubtful and uncooperative."

"But…at 10pm…I can't be there…" Mahiru said shyly.

"Don't worry, in your case, it's understandable. I'm sure _she_ will inform you of what happen during the meeting." the lady said with a reassuring smile.

"If you take care to go tell Shuto, I'll go see Kenmochi. The poor girl worries me. With the reaction she had after Takechi's execution, I'm afraid she could do something unthinkable…" Chitaru said. "I'll go see her now."

The fencer left the cafeteria, while Hitsugi gazed at her with what seemed to be a gloomy look. Haru couldn't believe such an adorable girl would show that kind of expression, she must have imagined it.

"Well, I will go too. I hope to see you tonight." Sumireko said before leaving the cafeteria, followed by Banba.

Everyone in the cafeteria went back to their breakfast. Like usual, Haru sat with Tokaku. They ate silently, and Haru hoped that the meeting tonight would strengthen their bonds as classmates and prevented another tragedy to happen.

* * *

Haru and Tokaku arrived at the sitting room around 21h55. It wasn't nighttime yet, but it will be soon. Since Kouko's death, there was no one to enforce the curfew. Despite that, Haru still wanted to respect the curfew, but tonight was an exception, because of the class meeting.

The sitting room was almost as big as a regular classroom. There had some couches and chairs, a long table in the back and some coffee tables near the sofas, a vending machine for snacks, a coffee machine and a television.

"I expected to see Haru-chan here, but I'm surprised to see Azuma-san here." Nio said.

The blonde girl was sitting on one of the chairs.

"Personally I don't care about this meeting. But since Ichinose wanted to come, I've to escort her. I won't let her defenseless with all of you." Tokaku replied.

"Oh my, that's not good, Azuma-san. Doubting everyone like this, it's quite the opposite of what this meeting is about." Sumireko said.

Hanabusa was sitting on an armchair.

"You're so mean, Azuma-san. Isuke would never lay a hand on Haru-chan."

Isuke suddenly approached from Haru and pat her head gently and smiled kindly to her. Haru didn't mind, despite the fact that Inukai was often rude, she thought that she also had a nice side. But, Tokaku looked triggered by the pink haired girl's act.

"Don't touch her!" Tokaku shouted before pushing Isuke away.

The SMSL Kick-Boxer just smiled in a provocative way at her and walked away, to sit next to Haruki on a couch.

Haru spotted Suzu and Shiena and was relieved to see them here. The gamester was by herself, seeming lost in her thoughts. The hacker was with Chitaru at the table. Surprisingly, Haru didn't see Hitsugi with the fencer. The little one was alone in a corner.

"Someone's missing. Where's Banba-san?" Haruki asked.

"Oh, she should be here soon, when night falls." Sumireko replied with an enigmatic smile.

"It's 22h, we should begin the meeting soon…" Chitaru began to say.

The door brusquely opened before Namatame could finish her sentence.

"Wassup losers!? I'm here for da party!" Banba shouted with a wide grin.

Haru was in shock. Was it really Mahiru? She seemed completely different. Haru remembered that Banba acted similar during the investigation after Kouko's murder.

"Mahiru-san?! Haru thought…that you couldn't come to the meeting…"

"Huh? I ain't Mahiru, ma name's Shinya. Banba Shinya, the Super Middle School Lever Demolisher. Nice to meet ya!"

"Don't tell me…it's the first time you meet Shinya-san? She's always there when it's nighttime!" Haruki said.

"But…Haru is always in her bed at nighttime, and I'm not a morning person…"

"Banba-san has a split personality. The day she's Mahiru-san, and the night she's Shinya-san." Hanabusa explained.

Haru wasn't sure to understand. It seemed that there was two Banbas, but they shared the same body? Anyway, since she was her classmate, Haru felt the need to greet her.

"Nice to meet you, Shinya-san." Haru said with a polite smile.

"SMSL Demolisher? That sounds totally like a made up title!" Nio exclaimed.

"You're one to talk, trash." Tokaku commented.

"Hey, gimme a sledgehammer and I'll show ya my demolition's skills." Shinya replied.

"I prefer not, a hammer hit on the head is not something I look for, sorry." Hashiri said.

"So, since we're all here, we can begin the class meeting." Chitaru declared.

The SMSL Fencer went to the middle of the sitting room, and Hitsugi joined her.

"I asked you to come here because I wanted to talk about what happened yesterday. I know it's maybe too soon to talk about it, but two of our classmates died. I don't know what kind of wish you have, but I don't think it's worth to risk your life and kill for it. You saw what's happen when you failed. You'll die a horrible death. And if you succeed, all the others will be executed. There is no wish that can possibly worth such a horrible fate!" Namatame said.

"So if I understand, you want to warn us of not committing a murder?" Sumireko asked.

"It's not a warning, it's an honest request. I don't want someone else to die, and to witness another brutal execution. Going along with what Monokuma wants will only bring pain." Chitaru argued.

"So you want us to remain trapped in this school for the rest of our lives?" Isuke asked.

"That's not what I want either. It's possible that we rest trapped her for a while, but it's impossible that no one will come to rescue us. We just have to be patient and not be tempted by Monokuma's promises." Chitaru added.

"I see. You want us to live here and wait for help from the outside. I guess it's still a better option than risking a gruesome execution." Hanabusa said.

"Well, Isuke planned to live a long life, so…"

"This school isn't that bad, we have free food and nice bedroom, I suppose I can wait a little bit here." Haruki said.

"If Mahiru is okay with that, I've nothing against living here for a while." Shinya declared.

Everyone else seemed to also agree with Chitaru's demand, which relieved Haru.

"Well then, we need a new class rep." Nio suddenly declared. "Since I was Kaminaga-kaichô's assistant, I propose myself. Any objections?"

"I've plenty." Tokaku replied.

"I'm not interested into your objections. But there's someone here I really wanted to hear the opinion about." Nio continued.

The blonde girl suddenly approached from Suzu, showing a friendly smile.

"Shuto-san, what do you think? Do you have any objection about me becoming the class rep?" Hashiri asked.

There was some malice in Nio's eyes. The gamester barely gave her attention, not even looking at her.

"Do as you like." Suzu replied. "I don't care."

"That's not good, Shuto-san! You need to care more about what happen in your class. You didn't even participate into the class trial, even when you were accused. We could have been all executed because of you." Nio complained.

"Hashiri, that's enough…" Chitaru began to say.

Suddenly, Suzu let out a slight giggle that seemed bitter.

"This class trial was a real joke. From the moment I saw Kouko-chan's corpse, I knew who the culprit was."

"Huh? If you knew who the culprit was, why didn't you say it from the beginning?" Sumireko asked. "You were only playing your card game."

"I wanted to let you a chance to find the truth by yourself, and also wanted to observe the capacities of my opponents. I must say that I'm not impressed, I'm even disappointed. For the majority of you, you're just a bunch of children. This is why I'll win this game." Suzu declared.

The gamester's declaration created an awkward silence in the room. It took few seconds before someone finally spoke.

"Who do you call a child you midget!?" Isuke replied with an irritated tone of voice.

"Opponents? Win this game? What are you planning to do, Shuto?!" Chitaru asked with a worried look.

"Isn't obvious? She's going to kill someone! Or just wait and hopes that we killed each other so she could be one of the two survivors." Nio said.

"If you think that those two options are the only way to win, you're definitely a child. You only based your judgment on what Monokuma said rather than thinking by yourself. This is game, a bad one, but still a game. I didn't want to participate, but your incompetence gives me no choice." Suzu said with a serious expression.

"Oh my, what an interesting development. As expected of the SMSL Gamester. I really look forward how you planned to win. But I'm warning you. If you consider me as your opponent and want to defeat me, you'll lose. I'm also someone who looks for victory." Sumireko said with a smirk.

"We aren't opponents, we're classmates! Our true enemy is Monokuma, not each other…!" Chitaru began to say.

"Upupu, that's so mean to say that about your loving headmaster, Namatame-san."

Haru blenched. The meeting was already degenerating, but now that he showed up, the situation couldn't be worst. Monokuma's figure had appeared on the television's screen.

"What do you want? I'm warning you, we won't fall for your trap!" Chitaru claimed.

"You think so? Maybe you, but I've the feeling that some of your classmates don't agree with you." Monokuma said. "Ah, doing a class meeting without inviting your headmaster, you're so cruel."

"Stop making us loses our time and says what you want to say!" Isuke said with an annoyed look.

"No need to be so impatient. Geez, kids this days…" Monokuma began so say, before showing them a black and white envelope. "Each of you has one of these in their respective dorm room. It contains one of your darkest secret. If a murder doesn't occur in two days, what's written in each envelope will be revealed to everyone!"

"Wait, you mean…this is…a motive?" Haruki began to say.

"That's right you bastard, this is the second motive! The first one is still valid though. So, if you don't want your secret to be revealed, you know what you need to do. So, have a nice class meeting, and good night! Upupu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a really nice meeting...until Nio ruins everything.
> 
> So...who's gonna die?


	12. Chapter 2: How to (not) keep a secret

Haru was sitting on her bed, with a black and white envelope in hands. According to Monokuma, one of her darkest secret was written inside. Which one? Haru was a girl with many secrets, and it would be bad if any of them was revealed, especially to Tokaku. Haru was worried that the blue haired girl would come to hate her if she knew the truth about her.

Haru wanted to open it and verify which one of her secrets was in it, but she was too scared to discover if it was worse than what she thought.

The door of her dorm room suddenly opened. Haru turned back and saw Tokaku coming inside her bedroom, holding a similar envelope as hers.

"As I thought, even if I live here now, my envelope was in my old room. Ichinose, did you check what was in yours?"

"No, I didn't."

"Me neither. I don't really want to. It would be playing Monokuma's game and falling into his trap."

The blue haired girl sat beside Haru. She couldn't help herself from gazing at Tokaku's envelope. She wanted to know what was inside. Maybe it was her mysterious talent that she always kept to herself.

"Do you perhaps want to see what's written inside?" Tokaku suddenly asked.

"Ah? Oh, no! It's your secret, Haru wouldn't…"

"It's ok. If you really want to see, I can let you open it…"

"Like I said, it's your secret, Haru doesn't want to force you to say something you don't want to."

"…but, I want to see yours in exchange."

Haru remained quiet for a moment. So Tokaku too was curious about her secret. Haru was tempted to agree and exchanged their respective envelope, but she was too scared of Tokaku's reaction toward her secret.

"I'm sorry, Tokaku-san. Haru doesn't think it's a good idea to read what's inside those envelopes. It must be a trap, since it's from Monokuma. Those envelopes are supposed to be a motive to kill after all!"

Haru felt bad. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the true reason why she didn't want to show what was written in her envelope.

"I see. Very well, I'll respect your decision, and make sure no one will see what's inside our envelopes." Tokaku replied.

Suddenly, the blue haired girl grabbed Haru's envelope and exited the bedroom. Worried about what Tokaku planned to do, she followed her. Haru discovered that she went inside the bathroom and joined her.

"Tokaku-san…what are…going to do with it?"

Her roommate didn't answer. She lifted the toilet seat and pressed the two envelopes together. To Haru's consternation, the blue haired girl began to tear them up.

"Tokaku-san…?!"

Tokaku continued to tear the envelopes, until there in a lot of pieces. She then let those little pieces of paper fell into the toilet and flushed them away.

"With this, no one will be able to see what was inside." Tokaku said calmly.

"But…Monokuma will reveal what was inside in two days…"

"Only if a murder doesn't occur. If nothing happen until the time limit, I supposed that we will learn each other secret."

"Do you…really think someone's going to kill to keep their secret safe?"

"Who knows? I personally don't care. I'll protect you no matter what."

Haru didn't reply. She surely didn't want someone to die, but she also didn't want her secret to be revealed. In two days, if no murder had occurred, whatever that was written in her envelope would be known by everyone. Frankly, Haru wasn't sure of what she wanted to happen.

"Anyway, it's getting late. We should go to sleep." Tokaku said.

The blue haired girl exited from the bathroom. Haru followed her, still uncertain about this situation. She hoped that no one would die because of those envelopes, but she was terrified of the secret that was written in hers.

* * *

One day had passed since the second motive had been announced and no murder occurred. More the time passed, the more Haru was nervous. She was relieved that no one died, but at the same time, she was worried about her secret. If nothing happen, tonight everybody is going to know it, all the secrets will be revealed.

" _Maybe it's better that way…No secret is enough important to cost someone's life._ " she thought.

Walking alongside Tokaku, Haru went to the cafeteria. It was almost 19h30, but Haru was still hungry. So she wanted to go take a little snack, and the blue haired girl insisted to escort her.

Haru was surprised to see that the cafeteria wasn't empty. Chitaru and Haruki were having a chat that seemed quite friendly. Even if she was surprised to see them together, Haru thought that they seemed to have some affinities to be friends.

"Namatame-san, Haruki-san! Good evening!" Haru greeted them.

"Ah, it's Haru-chan, with Grumpy Azuma-san!" Sagae replied with a friendly smile.

"Who do you call grumpy?!"

"Good evening, Ichinose, Azuma." Chitaru replied politely.

"It's rare to see you together, especially without Isuke-san or Hitsugi-chan." Haru commented.

"Isuke-sama is in the public bath."

"Kirigaya wasn't feeling well so she went to sleep earlier." Namatame answered.

"Come sit with us, don't be shy!" Haruki invited.

Haru immediately accepted and sat next to the SMSL Street Fighter. Tokaku seemed unpleased, but she didn't protest. She sat next to Chitaru and in front of Haru. Even if the blue haired girl kind of disliked everyone in Class Black, Sagae and Namatame seemed to be part of those she disliked the least. Haru was confident that Tokaku could get along with those two if she tried to.

"So…the time limit is soon. I hope no one fell for Monokuma's manipulation. If he thinks we'll kill only to keep a secret, he's foolish." Chitaru declared.

"I think you overrate people's morality. I do think you're an honest person who wouldn't kill for such a stupid reason, but I do think there are people here who could kill just to keep a secret." Tokaku replied.

"Are you one of those people, Azuma? Do you think your secret is worthy of committing a murder to keep it?" the fencer asked.

"Dunno. I teared up my envelope and threw in the toilet and flushed it before I could read it. I did it too with Ichinose's envelope." the blue haired girl replied.

"What? So you don't know what's your secret!?" Haruki exclaimed.

"Ah, no…And it's probably better that way. We won't be tempted by this motive." Haru answered.

"Wow, you've got some guts you two! I wouldn't have been able to not look. Like, the first thing I did when I learned about the secret was to rush to my room and see what it was." Sagae replied, before showing them a pocky box. "You want one?"

Haru gladly took one pocky, while Tokaku declined the offer.

"I must admit that I don't really want my secret to be revealed, but I don't want to kill for it. Even if the promise of a wish is quite tempting, there's on big problem with this." Haruki added.

"And what it is?" Haru asked.

"There's no guarantee that our wish will come true. You know, with the class trial. If we're discovered, we will be executed, and someone died in vain. Honestly, if I have to kill someone, I want to be sure it won't be in vain. There's no way I'll sacrifice someone else life without being sure it would worth it." Sagae replied.

"Do you really think there's something worth of killing?" Chitaru asked.

"Yup. To protect people you love. Like, your family. I'll do anything to protect my family." Haruki replied seriously. "But like I said, I won't sacrifice someone's life if there's a chance that it would be in vain."

"So if it wasn't of the class trial, you'll kill to have your wish?" Tokaku asked.

"Maybe, it depends of how my family is going. But hey, with the current situation, I don't have the intention to kill. So you don't have to worry about me." the redhead answered.

"It's hard for me to judge you for that. Even if I despise the act of killing, there's…one reason I could kill. It's related to my secret. It's something I'm not particularly proud about myself, but not entirely ashamed. It's not a part of me I want you to know, but it's don't really matter if you learn it. It's definitely not something I'll kill to keep safe." Chitaru replied. "Anyway, I won't judge anyone's secrets. If everyone is enough brave to resist Monokuma's manipulation despite the fear of having their darkest secret reveal, it'll be enough respectable to pass over any secrets."

The SMSL Fencer suddenly rose up.

"I'll go back to my room and see if Kirigaya is feeling better."

Chitaru left the cafeteria, while Haruki stood up.

"I'll go too. I came here because Isuke-sama wanted me to grab something to eat for her. Damn she must be so pissed right now that I still didn't come back. Good night!"

The redhead also left the area.

"You should hurry and take something to eat, Ichinose. The time limit is almost over. If someone wants to commit a murder, this person will act soon. It should be safer to stay in our room."

Haru nodded. While she was searching for a good snack, she couldn't help herself from thinking about Chitaru and Haruki. They seemed to have great values, despite the fact that they both admit they can kill. But Haru doubted that they were the type of people who could took someone else life, especially Namatame. She was such an honorable person, she gave Haru some hopes about their classmates. Haru really wished that no one fall for Monokuma's temptation, because it would be too heartbreaking to see Chitaru's hope and expectation about their classmates being crushed.

* * *

"Ichinose, what are you doing? The time limit is in one hour, it's not safe to go outside the room!" Tokaku said.

"But, if we stay here, we won't be able to hear what Monokuma is going to reveal."

"And?"

"Haru doesn't want people to learn my secret without me being present. Whatever my secret is, I need to be there to explain myself."

"There? Where?"

"The sitting room, probably. It's there that the second motive was announced, it would be logic that the reveal would take place there too. When the time limit will be over, Monokuma will probably make us go there to tell us everyone secrets, or show them on his screen. Haru prefers to wait inside the sitting room."

The blue haired girl, who was in front of the room's door to block Haru's way, showed an unsure expression. Haru knew that Tokaku only wanted to protect her, but she couldn't stay in her room when the time limit was almost over. She was worried that when the time limit will come, she would be too scared of her own secret to get out of her room. She preferred to go now when she was still feeling brave enough to face her secret and already be at the sitting room when the time limit will finish.

"…Fine. But I'll go with you." Tokaku finally said.

The two roommates left their dorm room and headed to the sitting room. But when they were about to reach their destination, the blue haired girl suddenly stopped walking.

"Tokaku-san, what's wrong?"

"I forgot my knife."

"Huh?"

"I left it in one of my boots. I need to go get it…"

"Wait! A knife won't be necessary, it's not like we'll be attack…"

"We can't know for sure! If someone snap before the time limit and decide to commit a murder, we could be attack. Without a weapon, it would be harder for me to protect you. So we need to go back…"

"No. Haru won't. If we go back to our room, I don't think I'll be able to get out. So please, let's go to the sitting room. I'm sure we will be safe there."

Tokaku sighed. She looked at the sitting room's door, and turned back.

"Fine. Wait for me in the sitting room. If I remember well, the door can be lock from the inside. So lock yourself in the sitting room and don't open the door to anyone except me. I'll go retrieve my knife."

Even if Haru didn't feel that it was necessary for Tokaku to be armed, she didn't argue with her. The blue haired girl went back to their dorm room, while Haru went inside the sitting room.

She discovered that the sitting room wasn't empty. Two people were there too. Hitsugi was lying on the couch, like she was sleeping, while Nio was near the coffee machine.

"Nio? What are you doing here?" Haru asked.

The blonde girl turned back and looked at her with her usual smile.

"Ah, isn't Haru-chan! I could ask you the same question you know."

"Haru is here…to wait for the time limit."

"Oh, really? What a coincidence! This is also why I'm here. And also to take a coffee. I'm beginning to feel tired, and it wouldn't be good if I fall asleep before the time limit."

Haru closed the door and hesitated to lock it. It shouldn't be necessary to lock herself inside if she wasn't alone in the room.

"What Hitsugi-chan is doing here?" Haru asked.

"I don't know. She was already there when I arrived. She's probably taking a nap here, or she fell asleep while waiting for the time limit to end."

Haru found this odd. According to Chitaru, Hitsugi was supposed to sleep in her room. Did she decide to go sleep here instead? Before Haru could think more about this, the door suddenly opened.

"Ichinose, I asked you to lock the door…huh? Hashiri, Kirigaya…?" Tokaku exclaimed.

A noise that sounds like an alarm suddenly resounded, interrupting the blue haired girl. Haru blenched and felt shivers when she recognized this sound.

"Attention everyone! This is the Body Discovery Announcement. A body has been discovered in the sitting room. You're invited to go there for more information." Monokuma voice said.

Haru suddenly look around. Did he say that a body was discovered in the sitting room? How could it be possible!? She was presently in the sitting room and there weren't any corpse…

She then glanced at Hitsugi, who was still lying on the couch, and she had a terrible thought.

"No, it can't be…" Haru mumbled.

She rushed toward Hitsugi. The little one was lying on her back, her eyes closed. It looked like she was sleeping quietly. A little bit too quietly…

Tokaku approached from Kirigaya and touched her neck. A shocked expression appeared on her face.

"Her heart isn't beating, and she isn't breathing either. She's dead." Tokaku said.

Haru couldn't believe what she heard. How could this happen? How did she die? She looked too much like she was sleeping peacefully…

"Hitsugi…?"

Haru felt her heart broke when she recognised the voice. She turned back and saw Chitaru in the doorframe. Her face was livid. The emotion in her eyes was beyond sadness. What Haru saw in Chitaru's eyes was no other than pure despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hitsugi is just pretending to be in a eternal sleep so her prince (Chitaru) can wake her up with a kiss. Yup, that's totally what's going to happen next chapter, so don't worry!
> 
> ...
> 
> I'm sorry.


	13. Chapter 2: Eternal sleep

Everybody gathered inside the sitting room. Chitaru was kneeling near Hitsugi's corpse, with blank eyes, like she couldn't face reality.

Haru also had a hard time accepting that this was real. She couldn't believe that Kirigaya was dead. She looked so young, like a kid. How someone could murder a girl that looked so much like an innocent child? Wait, was it really a murder? She didn't seem to have any fatal wound…

"Is she…really dead?" Haruki asked.

"Yes. I checked her heartbeat, her heart isn't beating anymore. She isn't breathing either." Tokaku replied.

The redhead seemed particularly affected by Hitsugi's death. Haru concluded that Sagae must be pretty sensitive about children. Maybe it was because she had younger siblings? It would make sense, since Haruki seemed pretty fond of her family.

Even if some people like Isuke and Hanabusa seemed indifferent, the others looked quite shocked by the victim's identity. It must have been also hard for them to believe that such a defenceless looking girl was killed.

"Upupu, I see that everyone is…wait. Huh? Is that a tradition of you bastards? Again, someone's missing! Last time it was Azuma-san, and now it's Kenmochi-san!? I also didn't even notice. Well, this girl is pretty forgettable." Monokuma said. He suddenly had appeared on the television's screen, just like he did during the class meeting.

Haru immediately looked around. It was true. Shiena was really missing. She knew that the hacker was a pretty discreet girl, but to not even notice her absence, Haru felt bad. She was also worried about her.

"Anyway, I've no time to lose waiting for her! So just like when Kaminaga-san was murdered, you'll investigate Kirigaya-san's murder! After that, a class trial will happen, and you'll try to find the culprit." Monokuma continued.

"Wait! Was she really murdered? Could she have died from natural cause, like a disease?" Suzu suddenly asked.

"No, she was definitely killed. I've many cameras here, so I can guaranty that Kirigaya Hitsugi didn't died from natural cause, she was murdered." Monokuma replied. "It will be all for the moment, good luck with the investigation! Upupu."

Monokuma's suddenly disappeared from the screen and the television turned off.

"So it's happening again…I suggest that we investigate at least in pair of two. To avoid that the culprit try to make some clues disappeared." Sumireko said.

"I guess that it's the safest way to assure that the culprit won't try to trick us." Suzu agreed.

Everyone else seemed also to agree with the lady's suggestion.

"But first, we should take a look at the body." Suzu continued. "To understand how she was killed. What a shame that she's the one who died this time. With her talent as a toxicologist, she was quite useful, especially to determine the time of death."

The gamester approached from Hitsugi's corpse. Chitaru was still there, gazing at her deceased friend with sorrow. Even if Suzu looked emotionless, Haru thought that she saw some pity in her eyes when she glanced at Namatame. Shuto than examined the dead body.

"Hum, no wound. It looks like she died in her sleep." Suzu commented.

"So there's nothing useful with her corpse. Isuke will take her leave. Haruki, since we can't stay alone, come with me."

Isuke and Haruki were the first one to left the sitting room. Sumireko exited too, with Mahiru.

"Hey, what's that on her right hand?" Tokaku said.

Haru noticed it too. Hitsugi had a bandage on her right hand.

"She must have injured herself. I doubt that it's related to the murder though." Suzu commented.

Haru looked around, trying to find a clue. She looked under the couch and saw something. She reached for it and discovered that it was a wire.

"Hey, you found something interesting! Maybe it's the murder weapon." Nio said. "You know, she could have been strangled to death. It wouldn't have left a wound."

"Hum, maybe. It's a possibility. Anyway, I'm curious to know why Kenmochi-san isn't here. I'll go search for her. Ichinose-san, would you come with me? I can't go alone." Suzu proposed.

"No! Ichinose will go with me!" Tokaku protested while putting herself in front of Haru in a defensive gesture.

"No need to be so defensive with me." Suzu replied with a giggle. "We need to be at least two to investigate, but nothing forbids us to be three. I just want to investigate with Ichinose-san, I've the impression that it will be interesting to go with her."

"I don't trust you! You proudly declared that you'll win this game, how can we trust you?!" Tokaku replied aggressively.

"Azuma-san…if you really think that I said that because I intend to kill someone, you're definitely a child." Suzu replied with a condescending glare.

The blue haired girl looked pissed, and even angry at Shuto. Haru grabbed her hand, trying to calm Tokaku.

"Please, don't fight!" Haru begged.

"Why won't you go investigate with Hashiri instead!? Otherwise she'll be alone." Tokaku shouted to Suzu."

"Huh, me? I'll stay with Namatame-san here. It doesn't look like she'll go away anytime soon, and I can't let her alone with Kirigaya-san's corpse. Who knows what she could do in her current state…" Nio said with an enigmatic smile.

"So if Hashiri-san stay here, I'll have to go with you two, otherwise I'll be alone." Suzu said with a smirk.

Tokaku clenched her fists, with a resigned expression.

"Fine, but you better not attack Ichinose! Don't forget that I'm ready do to anything to protect her." Tokaku warned.

"I didn't forget, so don't worry. And it isn't like I've enough strength to attack someone anyway." the gamester replied.

The three headed toward the exit, while Nio stayed near the fencer. Before leaving, Haru turned back to look at Chitaru one last time, feeling sympathy for the poor girl who was devastated by the loss of her friend.

* * *

Haru, Tokaku and Suzu began their investigation in the cafeteria. After some time of searching, they came to the conclusion that there weren't any clue, and Shiena wasn't there. They left the cafeteria and passed in front the classroom the closest. Suzu stopped for a moment and glanced at the classroom. It was where Kouko was murdered. She then continued to walk.

"Can we make a detour to the incinerator?" the gamester suddenly demanded.

"Why?" Tokaku asked.

"There's something that I need to dispose of." Shuto answered.

The blue haired girl gazed at her with suspicion, which made Suzu laugh slightly.

"Don't worry, it's not like I want to push you in the incinerator or something like that. If you're afraid of what I might do, just walk behind me. Or don't go with me."

After saying those words, Suzu began to walk away, heading to where the incinerator was.

"Tokaku-san, we can't leave her alone!"

"You're right. If she's the culprit, she might try to burn a clue. We need to follow her."

They followed Suzu and reached the incinerator. The SMSL Gamester took out an envelope from one of her pocket. Haru recognised the black and white envelope that contained one of their darkest secrets.

"Shuto-san…is that…your envelope?" Haru asked.

"No, it's Kouko-chan's."

"Why did you have Kaminaga's envelope?" Tokaku asked. "And how is that possible? There's no need for the dead to have one!"

"I don't know why. Just before the body discovery announcement, I was inside Kouko-chan's room. I wanted to know if even the deceased have an envelope. It seemed that the presence of this envelope in my hands is the proof that yes."

"And what do you intend to do with it? Did you read it?" Haru asked.

"No, I didn't read it." Suzu began to say coldly, before throwing the envelope in the incinerator. "After all, even the deceased have the right to keep a secret."

The golden eyed girl activated the incinerator, burning the envelope, keeping safe the secret it contained.

"Shuto-san…" Haru whispered sadly.

"We should…continue to investigate now." Tokaku said. "Shuto, are you coming?"

The blue haired girl seemed less aggressive toward Suzu. She deactivated the incinerator, while Tokaku turned back, beginning to walk away. When Haru was about to turn back, she noticed that Suzu crouched on the floor to grab something, but she couldn't see what. Shuto then joined them.

"I hear people talking." Tokaku suddenly said.

"Really? Where?" Haru asked, hoping that one of them was Shiena.

"There!" The blue haired girl replied while pointing a room.

The room she was pointing was the laboratory. The three approached of it. The door was already opened. They went inside and discovered who was talking inside.

"Hanabusa-san, Mahiru-san!" Haru exclaimed.

"Oh, isn't Ichinose-san! With Azuma-san and Shuto-san. Good timing, come looking at what we found." Sumireko invited.

They approached from the SMSL Lady and discovered a small blood stain on the floor.

"Blood? Here?! Why!?" Haru exclaimed.

"I would like to know. It doesn't seem to be in connection with Kirigaya-san's murder, but it's still suspicious that there is blood here." Sumireko replied.

"It's not enough blood for a murder to have occurred here." Suzu added.

Tokaku crouched and slightly touched the puddle of blood.

"It's still fresh, this blood must have been shed recently." the blue haired girl said.

"It's even more suspicious. We should search more for clues." Shuto proposed.

Everyone agreed and they began to investigate more the laboratory. While searching on the floor, Haru spot a small shiny object and tried to reach it.

"Be careful, Ichinose!" Tokaku warned.

Haru froze immediately.

"What it is, Tokaku-san?"

"It's a piece of broken glass. Don't touch it, you could injure yourself." the blue haired girl said.

"Oh my, Azuma-san, you're so overprotective! How cute." Sumireko said with a giggle.

"Shut up!" Tokaku shouted.

"No need to be so rude. No one died from a little cut. What doesn't kill you make you stronger." Hanabusa replied seriously.

Tokaku glared at Sumireko with animosity.

"I…I think I found something!" Mahiru suddenly said.

They went where the SMSL Seamstress was. Banba pointed to them a trash can.

"Oh, you found Hashiri's natural habitat." the blue haired girl deadpanned.

"Oh, I didn't know that Azuma-san was able to make joke, what a surprise!" Suzu exclaimed.

"Shut up. I was serious."

"So, what about that, Banba-san?" Sumireko asked.

"Look…inside." Mahiru replied.

They looked what were inside the trash can. Haru saw some broken glasses, a bloody scalpel and a tissue soaked with blood and another liquid.

"What happened here!?" Haru exclaimed.

"Look like someone tried some kind of experience here and ended up injuring herself. This person probably tried to clean up her mess, but not in a thorough way." Sumireko concluded. "Even if I'm curious about what this person was doing here, it doesn't seem related to Kirigaya-san's murder, so we shouldn't lose any more time here. We should go investigate somewhere else."

"I'm not sure if you're right, but there doesn't seem to have something else interesting here." Suzu said. "Let's go somewhere else."

The others agreed and the five of them left the laboratory.

* * *

The group was now in front of the inner garden. Since Otoya's execution, Haru never came back there, since this place reminded her bad memories. But now, it was for the sake of their investigation. The inner garden was the last place they didn't investigate, and they still haven't found the hacker.

They went inside the inner garden, searching for clues. After few minutes, Haru spotted what seemed to be a person, lying on the ground. Worried, she approached from them, and froze in fear.

Shiena's body was lying on a flower bed. The hacker seemed to be asleep, but after Hitsugi's death, Haru couldn't be sure.

"No, not again…Shiena-san!?" Haru shouted with panic.

"What! Another corpse?!"

Haru turned back and discovered that Isuke and Haruki were there. It was the pink haired girl who just talked.

"It can't be true…not her too." Sagae said, before approaching from Shiena. "Oy, Kenmochi-san, wake up! Don't die…"

When the redhead tried to grab the hacker's body, she suddenly fell on the flower bed, unconscious.

"Haruki!?" Isuke shouted with a shocked and worried expression.

The kick-boxer tried to approach from her, but a voice suddenly told her to stop.

"Don't go near those flowers! Those are gelsemiums! It's a species of flower that can knock you out if you smell or eat them." Suzu warned. "Be cautious of not breathing while you're near them."

Holding her breath, Isuke grabbed Haruki and moved her away from the gelsemiums. Haru did the same with Kenmochi. Tokaku, Sumireko and Banba joined them.

"What happened?" Hanabusa asked. "Kenmochi-san? Why is she asleep, and Sagae-san too?"

"They were knocked out by the gelsemium flowers." Haru replied.

"Are they going to be okay?" Isuke asked.

"Yes, it's not a dangerous flower. Sagae-san should regain consciousness soon, she barely smelled them. But Kenmochi-san…we don't know how long she was lying on those flowers, it could take a while until she woke up, but she should be fine." Suzu replied.

Isuke suddenly lifted Haruki on her back.

"She's…heavy, that meathead. Why should Isuke bother to carry her?" the pink haired girl complained.

"But…no one asked you to. You're the one who choose to carry her." Suzu commented.

"S-Shut up! It's not like I care for this peasant or anything."

"Oh, how youngsters call that again? Oh yeah, a tsundere!" Shuto added.

"No Isuke isn't! And who do you call youngster? Aren't you younger than Isuke?"

"I'm much older than you think" the gamester said with a mysterious smile.

Haru slightly touched Shiena's neck and was relieved to discover that her heart was still beating. She tried to take her into her arms, but she didn't have enough strength.

"Leave it to me, Ichinose." Tokaku proposed.

The blue haired girl lifted the hacker on her back. Suddenly, a piece of paper fell from Shiena's skirt, and Sumireko picked it up.

"What it is?" Haru asked.

"Hum, nothing that seems important. I'll give it back to Kenmochi-san when she'll wake up." Hanabusa replied while shoving the paper in one of her pockets.

"Upupu, the investigation time is now over! You all need to come to the elevator near the vending machines. If someone doesn't come, this person will be punished. Please hurry, the class trial will begin soon!" Monokuma's voice resonated.

Everyone exchanged a glare, before leaving the inner garden and headed to the elevator.

* * *

Everyone gathered at the elevator near the vending machines. Haruki had waked up, but Shiena was still unconscious. Looking around, Haru noticed that once again, someone was missing. This time, it was Nio that was absent.

"Kenmochi!? What happened to her? Is she…?" Chitaru suddenly asked with a worried look.

Namatame seemed to have regained her senses.

"She's just unconscious because she smelled gelsemium flowers." Tokaku replied.

"I see, what a relief." the fencer said after a sigh. "If you want, I can carry her."

The blue haired girl slowly removed Shiena from her back and let Chitaru lifted her. The SMSL Fencer carried the hacker into her arms.

"Namatame-san, how are you…doing?" Haru asked.

"I…feel terrible to be honest. But now is no time to let ourselves being submerged by despair. I need to attend this class trial with clear mind if I want to find out who murdered Hitsugi."

Chitaru's gaze suddenly became cold, and even gloomy.

"Whoever killed her, I won't forgive this person. It's unforgivable. I'll make sure that her murderer gets what she deserves." Namatame added with a bitter voice.

Haru never saw such a resentful expression on the fencer's face. It was heartbreaking to see someone as nice like Chitaru expressing so much hate. Haru was kind of worried of how she's going to act during the class trial.

"Sorry for the wait, I had to go to the bathroom!" Nio suddenly exclaimed while rushing toward them.

The elevators' doors suddenly opened.

"Now that everyone's here, the class trial can begin!" Monokuma voice said.

"Wait! What about Kenmochi? She's still unconscious!" Chitaru protested.

"Just bring her with you, she'll eventually woke up, probably. So hurry up, we have no time to lose anymore!" Monokuma said.

Everyone headed to the elevator and went it. Haru was the last on to go inside and the doors closed behind her. Haru hoped so much that she wouldn't have to go back there. The elevator began to move, going down.

" _Hitsugi-chan's murderer…is one of us. I can't believe someone could have killed such a child-looking girl. Even if it's painful to doubt my classmates, I've to. If we don't find the culprit, everyone else will be executed. This is why, during the class trial, Haru will definitely uncover the identity of the culprit!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember that in the manga, Suzu had called Tokaku a child. Tokaku looked so pissed xD
> 
> Anyway, the second class trial will begin next chapter! Who's the culprit?


	14. Chapter 2: Beginning of the second class trial

Haru noticed that some changes had happened in the class trial's room. First, the circle of desks had become slightly smaller. Haru understood that it was because two desks had disappeared. There were now only ten desks, which was also the number of remaining Class Black's students.

The other change was about one of the wall, the one that was facing Monokuma's screen. Two pictures had been fixed on it and a table was under them. There were pictures of the two deceased students, Kaminaga Kouko and Takechi Otoya. Each of them had an X painted with the color of blood on their face and on the table, there were two flowers. One was under Kouko's picture and the other one under Otoya's picture.

"The flower under Kouko-chan's picture is a red spider lily, while the one under Takechi-san's picture is a mountain lily. The latter means in the language of flowers 'the joy of life." Suzu suddenly commented.

The gamester approached from the flowers, more particularly from the red spider lily.

"This one means 'I'm looking forward to meet you again'. I love it. Unfortunately, it will never happen…" Suzu said with a sadden look while looking at Kouko's picture.

Haru remembered that it was Shuto who warned them about the gelsemium flowers when they found Shiena unconscious in the inner garden.

"Shuto-san, you're well informed about flowers!" Haru exclaimed.

"The language of flowers used to be a hobby of mine a while ago." Suzu replied.

"A while ago? But…aren't you a middle school student? How old are you? 15?"

"Indeed, I am. And yes, I am 15 years old…since too long."

Before that Haru could interrogate her about her strange statement, Suzu went to her seat.

"Huh? Namatame? Why…are you…holding me!?"

Haru turned back and discovered that Shiena had regain consciousness, still in Chitaru's arms. For some reason, the hacker was heavily blushing.

"You were found unconscious in the inner garden because of gelsemiums." the fencer replied.

"I was? Oh, right, those flowers…Well I'm fine now, you can released me."

Chitaru put Shiena on the floor and help her getting on her feet. The hacker then looked around her and looked confused.

"Wait…a class trial!?"

Kenmochi blenched when she spotted the black coffin in the middle of the circle of desks. Carefully, she approached from it, to discover who the victim was.

"Kirigaya?!"

"Hitsugi was murdered. We're having a class trial to found out who killed her." Chitaru explained with a bitter, but also sadden, expression.

"Okay everyone, enough with the talking and go to your seat. It's time to begin the second class trial!" Monokuma exclaimed cheerfully.

Everyone went to their seat. With the disappearance of the desk number 8 and 4, Suzu and Chitaru were now side by side, just like Shiena and Isuke.

Haru noticed that Banba's desk had been altered. A piece of paper where it was written "Shinya" had been place above the tag where her first name was written, and a piece of paper where it was written "Demolisher" was above the name of her talent. Haru realised that it must be nighttime, and thus Banba had now her Shinya's persona.

"What's up with the flowers? Is it a way to taunt us?" Shiena asked.

"What? The flowers? I didn't put them there." Monokuma replied. "Anyway, you already know how a class trial work, but let me re-explain it to be sure. You'll argue with each other and try to find the culprit who killed Kirigaya Hitsugi. When the majority of you will agree, you'll vote to determine who do you think committed the murder. If the blackened is discovered, this person alone will be executed. But if you vote for the wrong person, everybody except the blackened will be executed and this person will graduate and as a reward, will have a wish granted. Without further ado, let's begin the class trial!"

Everybody remained quiet for few seconds, before someone began to spoke.

"I think we should discuss first about how Kirigaya-san was killed." Sumireko said.

"From what I saw when I examined her corpse, she didn't have any fatal wound, so it's unlikely that she was either stab to death or died from a major blood lost." Suzu added.

"So she killed in a way that didn't leave a wound. What a bother. If a least we knew what the murder weapon was…" Isuke complained.

Haru thought about what they said. How Hitsugi was murdered? With what kind of weapon she could have been killed without leaving a wound? She suddenly remembered an object she found when she was investigating in the sitting room.

"The murder weapon…could it be a wire? Because I discovered an electric wire under the couch where Hitsugi-chan's corpse was found!" Haru declared.

"Oh yeah, that electric wire! That remind me, when I went to the sitting room, I tried to make myself a coffee, but the machine wasn't working. I was checking the wire when you came inside the room and guess what. The coffee machine's wire had disappeared! I guess that someone took it and put it under the couch." Nio said.

"You mean…da little one was beaten to death with a wire!?" Shinya exclaimed.

"First I'm not sure it's possible, and secondly even if it was, it would have leave wounds. Probably." Hanabusa replied. "But, she could have been strangled to death with an electric wire."

"But, if she was strangled to death, she should have a pained expression. Kirigaya looked like she died in her sleep." Tokaku said.

"Maybe the culprit used sleeping pills or something like that to knock her out and then strangled her." Isuke proposed. "Anyway, let's not loose time anymore with those pointless talks and let's discuss something more important like the alibis."

"If you're too impatient, you'll end up missing some important clue." Suzu commented.

"It will be hard to establish alibis, since we don't know the time of death." Sumireko said.

"Then, maybe we should determine the last time each of us saw the victim still alive." Shiena proposed. "In my case, I saw her around 20h in the inner garden."

"That's a good idea, Kenmochi-san. Personally, I only saw Kirigaya-san this morning during breakfast." Suzu replied.

"Same for me." Tokaku said.

"I don't 'membered if I or Mahiru even encountered her today." Shinya replied.

"I saw her when I exited the public bath with Isuke-sama. She was near the incinerator. It was around 20h30 I think." Haruki said.

"I too…saw her, multiple times. I know that around 19h, she wasn't feeling well so she went to sleep. But I encountered her later, but I'm not sure when. I know that it was passed 20h. Since she didn't look well, I tried to bring her back to her room, but she insisted to go to the sitting room instead. So I brought her there and went to the infirmary to search for some medicine that could help her feeling better." Chitaru revealed.

Since no one else spoke, it seemed that no one else had seen Hitsugi this evening.

"So we can assume that she was still alive at 20h30. The corpse was found around 21h, so we should establish the alibis between 20h30 and 21h…" Hanabusa began to say.

"That won't be necessary, it's already obvious who culprit is." Isuke suddenly said.

"Really? Who it is?" Haruki asked.

The pink haired girl raised her hand and pointed the person at the seat number 10.

"It's her. Nio-san is the one who killed Kirigaya-san!" the SMSL Kick-Boxer declared.

"What!? Why me? I didn't do it!" Hashiri protested.

"Don't try to lie! You were the first one at the crime scene. After that Namatame-san left Kirigaya-san in the sitting room, you went inside, offered her a drink drugged with sleeping pills, and strangled her to death while she was asleep with the coffee machine's electric wire! You tried to put the wire back where you took it, but Haru-chan interrupted you. So you hid it on yourself and took advantage of the confusion created by the Body Discovery Announcement to hide it under the couch!" Isuke accused.

Could it be the truth? Is Nio really Hitsugi's murderer? Haru wasn't sure. Isuke's reasoning made sense, but she felt that something was off. Haru remembered a detail that could prove Hashiri's innocence, according to something Monokuma had said.

"The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people discover a body for the first time. The blackened doesn't count." Haru said. "It's one of Monokuma's rules. During the Body Discovery Announcement, there were only me, Nio and Tokaku-san in the sitting room. The announcement started when Tokaku-san saw Hitsugi-chan's corpse, which mean she must be the third person who discovered the body. I was the second one, and Nio the first one. Which mean that she can't be the culprit, since the blackened doesn't count."

"Good deduction, Ichinose-san. With this, we can prove your innocence, as well as Azuma-san and Hashiri-san's innocence." Hanabusa replied. "All the others need to give an alibi for what they were doing between 20h30 and 21h. In my case, I was in my room."

"Really, she's innocent? Oh well. Isuke was leaving the public path with Haruki and we headed together to our dorm rooms. We can prove each other's alibis."

"I was still in the public bath during that time. Mahiru-san was also there, so I can confirm her alibi." Suzu said.

"Huh, I was unconscious in the inner garden, apparently." Shiena said.

"I was probably at the infirmary." Chitaru replied.

"So there are two people who can't confirm their alibis. Hanabusa-san, I'm talking about you. Do you have a way to prove that you were in your room?" Suzu suddenly asked.

"Oh my, you're suspecting me, Shuto-san. What an interesting development. I'll gladly defend myself and prove my innocence. Ichinose-san, you went to your room at 20h, right?" Sumireko asked.

"Uh, yes, it's true. How do you know?"

"Because I heard you. Your room is just next to mine. The fact that I know that prove my presence in my room at 20h. So tell us Ichinose-san, did you hear me leaving my room before that you headed to the sitting room?"

"No, I didn't hear you leaving your room."

"Me neither." Tokaku said.

"Well, I think it proves that I stayed in my room until the Body Discovery Announcement. So I can't be the culprit." the SMSL Lady declared with a proud look.

"I acknowledge your alibi. So it means that the new suspect is the second person who can't confirm her alibi." Suzu said.

"Let me guess. This person is none other than Namatame-san, right?" Hanabusa asked with a smirk.

Everyone suddenly looked at Chitaru.

"What, you're suspecting Chitaru-san to be Hitsugi-chan's murderer? I can't believe that!" Haruki replied.

"Namatame-san, can you prove that you were really at the infirmary?" Suzu asked.

"Well, no…but I didn't do it! I swear, I wouldn't have…killed her. I didn't strangle Hitsugi!" Chitaru protested.

"There's no way that Namatame would have done this! She was so close with Kirigaya, how can you think she would have killed her? That's insane! Namatame is not the culprit!" Shiena argued.

"This is exactly why she chose to kill her. Because of their closeness. She thought that no one would suspect her to be Kirigaya-san's murderer because they were closed. After all, when you choose to kill, you're ready to let everyone died, so it doesn't really matter who you chose to kill." Hanabusa replied. "Namatame-san did bring Kirigaya-san to the sitting room, but it's not only that. She took advantage of Kirigaya-san's trust toward her and strangled her to death! She then hid the wire under the couch and left the sitting room."

"How ironic, since Namatame-san was the one who tried so much to prevent another murder to occur." Isuke commented.

Haru couldn't believe that Chitaru was the culprit. She couldn't accept that as the truth. She was convinced by the fencer's kindness, she couldn't think that she would have only pretended to want preventing a murder. Also, Haru was convinced that Chitaru and Hitsugi really liked each other. This is why she was determined to prove Namatame's innocence.

"Haru can't also believe that Namatame-san is the culprit! There must have a way to prove her innocence! You're only accusing her because you think that Hitsugi-chan was strangled to death, but are we really sure that it what happened?"

"Ichinose's right, other than the electric wire, we have no actual proof that Kirigaya was killed by it." Tokaku added. "Now that I think about it, it doesn't make sense that she was strangled to death. Her corpse didn't have any wounds, or marks. Strangulation leave marks around the neck!"

"She had no marks on her neck? Well, it's impossible that she was strangled to death then. I can guaranty you that when someone's is strangled, it leaves marks." Haruki agreed.

"And how can you be sure of that?" Nio asked.

"Huh, well, it's common sense." the redhead answered with a nervous look.

"Finally, someone notice! I was afraid that no one would point this out. Indeed, there's no way that Kirigaya-san was strangled to death, I knew it from the beginning." Suzu declared with a smirk. "Your impatience costed you an important clue."

"Shuto-san, you…It doesn't matter. Namatame-san is the only one without an alibi, so she must be the culprit!" Sumireko insisted.

Was it true? Is Chitaru the only one without an alibi? Haru thought about that. Something was wrong about this statement, and it was related to the unknown way that Kirigaya was killed.

"No, that's wrong! Namatame-san isn't the only without an alibi. All the alibis are invalid!" Haru declared.

"What are you saying!? That doesn't make sense!" Hanabusa protested.

"Yes, it makes sense! Think about it. Hitsugi-chan's body has no fatal wound or mark on it. So she wasn't killed by a stab wound, strangling or a hit, and she was definitely murdered. Which means…the culprit must have used something that could have killed her from the inside. The only thing that I can think of is…poison. If it's the case, than she could have been poisoned at any time of the day since we can't know what type of poison was used to kill her!" Haru said.

"Hum…if she was really poisoned, than I must admit that yes, all alibis are now invalid." Sumireko replied.

"So we're back at square one. Great." Isuke said with sarcasm and annoyance.

Suddenly, someone uttered a weak laugh. By looking around, Haru discovered that it was Suzu who had giggled.

"The irony is so strong. To think that the SMSL Toxicologist was poisoned to death…because yes, it's obvious that the murder weapon was indeed poison." Shuto began to say. "But where did the culprit found that poison? I can think of one place where it's possible to have access to toxic substances, and the victim went there today, and she wasn't alone."

Haru thought about what Suzu had said. What place could it be? During the class trial, it was confirmed that Hitsugi went to at least four places, and only one of them fitted with Shuto's statement, and indeed, someone else had been there too, exactly at the same time as Kirigaya. Could this person be the culprit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, an accusation already?
> 
> I like the concept of flowers in AnR. Each time someone was expelled, a flower was put on there desk. Suzu usually commented about that and explained the signification behind the flowers. This is why I kept this idea for this story.
> 
> That awkward moment when Haruki accidentaly admitted that she's used to strangle people to death.
> 
> Haru: Hitsugi's murder was an inside job, wake up sheeple!
> 
> Who's the better Togami? Suzu or Sumireko?


	15. Chapter 2: It's just a game

"Shiena-san, can you explained to us what happened in the inner garden? How did you end up smelling the gelsemium flowers and fell unconscious? You met Hitsugi-chan in the inner garden, you said it yourself. So what happened between the two of you?" Haru asked.

The hacker looked shocked for a moment, like she couldn't process what was happening. She then looked quite pissed.

"What are you insinuating, Ichinose!? That I'm the culprit?!" Shiena replied.

"No, it's not what I meant, Haru just want to…"

"That would make sense though. So Kenmochi-san, could you answer Ichinose-san questions please? Otherwise we'll have to suspect you." Sumireko interrupted.

Shiena looked around her, noticing that all the gazes were now directed toward her, and began to shiver nervously.

"Huh….no, you're wrong, I didn't do it! I don't really remember how exactly I fell unconscious, but isn't it the proof that I'm not the culprit? I was unconscious the entire time!" Kenmochi argued.

"Maybe ya were only pretendin' to be unconscious! Ya killed the little one, and went back to da inner garden and pretended being unconscious during all da investigation." Shinya proposed.

"Wow, Isuke didn't know that Shinya-san could come up with such a plausible explanation." the pink haired girl commented.

"No, I wasn't pretending! I was really unconscious!" Shiena protested.

Haru thought about Shinya's theory. Could it be true, that Kenmochi was only pretending to have lost consciousness? No, it couldn't be, and she could prove it.

"You're wrong! There's no way that Shiena-san could have faked being unconscious. Everyone who was there when we found her in the inner garden can testify. Shiena-san was lying in a flowerbed of gelsemiums! And when Haruki-san tried to lift her, she also fell unconscious, just be breathing near those flowers. So unless that Shiena-san was holding her breath the entire time, she couldn't have possibly pretended to be unconscious!" Haru argued.

"What dafuq Ichinose!? Ya are the one who attacked Kenmochi first and now ya are defendin' her?" Shinya shouted angrily.

"Haru didn't attack her or try to defend her! Just like all of you, Haru wants to find the truth, I want to find out who murdered Hitsugi-chan. But, you are all my classmates, Haru doesn't want to doubt you, but I've no choice. So we need to doubt each other in order to prove our innocence. I doubt Shiena-san because I want to prove that she isn't the culprit!"

"Ichinose, you…" Shiena began to say.

"Isuke doesn't really care about who the culprit is. I just don't want to be executed."

"Isuke-sama, you're ruining the mood…" Haruki replied.

"That's a nice confession, Ichinose-san, but you're too soft." Hanabusa said. "I can accept that Kenmochi-san wasn't faking being unconscious, but it doesn't prove that she isn't the culprit. She could have poisoned Kirigaya-san and then smelled the gelsemiums to make it look like she couldn't be the culprit. Killing to keep your secret safe shouldn't be a problem for someone like you, isn't that right, Jack the Ripper of the 21st Century?"

"What…?" was the only thing Kenmochi managed to say.

Sumireko suddenly took out a piece of paper from one of her pockets. Haru recognized that it was the paper that fell out from Shiena's skirt.

"Don't try to play innocent. You are Jack the Ripper of the 21st Century, aren't you? I would have never guessed that such a normal-looking girl like you would be a notorious serial killer." Hanabusa added.

"No, I'm not…" Shiena began to say.

"Then explain this." the SMSL Lady interrupted while showing to everyone what was on the paper. It was written: I'm Jack the Ripper of the 21st Century. "For those who don't know, it's the name of a serial killer. And this paper fell out from one of Kenmochi-san's pockets. It's safe to assume that it's her darkest secret. She killed Kirigaya-san because she didn't want us to know that she was a serial killer!"

"T-That's not true! It's not mine! It's…Takechi's darkest secret." Shiena revealed.

"You know, if you want to lie, at least make it more convincing. Takechi-san is dead, she shouldn't have an envelope." Sumireko replied.

"And how could you have access to her envelope anyway?" Nio added.

"I…I found it in her room. I was curious to know if she had one too, despite the fact that…she's dead." Kenmochi answered. "And I'm not lying! It's not my darkest secret! Mine was on a USB key, Monokuma can confirm it…"

"Upupu, I can't participate in the class trial, so I won't say anything about that!" Monokuma replied.

Almost everyone seemed to believe Sumireko's accusation. Suzu on the other hand seemed kind of disappointed. Looking at the gamester made Haru remembered an important detail that could prove that Shiena wasn't lying.

"Dead people do have an envelope too! Shuto-san found Kaminaga-san's envelope in her room! So it could be Takechi-san's secret that!" Haru declared.

"It's true, I found Kouko-chan's envelope." Suzu confirmed.

"Really? But, even if dead people have an envelope, it didn't prove that this paper came from Takechi-san's envelope!" Sumireko argued.

"No, but it would make more sense that Takechi-san is Jack the Ripper of the 21st Century rather than Kenmochi-san. From what I know, Jack the Ripper of the 21st Century is a serial killer who killed her victims by mutilating them with scissors. It fitted Takechi-san." Suzu added.

"Maybe it's true, but it doesn't prove that Kenmochi-san isn't the culprit. She could have used a poisonous flower to kill Kirigaya-san. It's what you meant, right, Shuto-san?" Sumireko said.

"Indeed, Kenmochi-san using a flower to poison Kirigaya-san is a possibility." Suzu replied.

Haru wondered if it was really the truth. To confirm it, they should establish first if there had any poisonous flowers in the inner garden.

"Shuto-san, you know a lot of stuff about flowers, right? Do you know if there are toxic flowers in the inner garden?" Haru asked.

"Maybe there are, maybe not. I'm just a gamester, I don't have the authority to establish that." Suzu answered with a sly smile.

Haru knew it. Suzu was well aware of the truth, but she didn't want to reveal it. She probably wanted them to find out by themselves. Haru tried to think about someone who could confirm whether or not there had poisonous flowers. She realised that the only person who could have confirmed it was the SMSL Toxicologist, the victim of this case. But she then understood that someone else could confirm it, a person who had gone in the inner garden with Hitsugi.

"Namatame-san, you went to the inner garden with Hitsugi-chan once, right? Why?" Haru suddenly asked.

"Huh? Yes, I did…Hitsugi wanted to examine the flowers, to see if some of them were toxic. " Chitaru replied.

"And did she found poisonous flowers?" Haru insisted.

"No, she didn't. According to her, no flowers were mortally toxic." the fencer confirmed.

"Those words came from the SMSL Toxicologist herself! It's the proof that Shiena-san couldn't have poisoned Hitsugi-chan in the inner garden!" Haru claimed.

Suddenly, Suzu began to clap slowly in her hands.

"Congratulation, Ichinose-san. It's true that there aren't any poisonous flowers in the inner garden. Now that we established that Kenmochi-san isn't the culprit, we can…"

"Not so fast, Shuto-san! You gave us a fake clue, didn't you? What's your goal? Why are you making us loose our time?" Sumireko said.

"Oh, but my goal isn't to make you lose your time. Thinking by yourself is never a loss of time. I can't be the one who solve everything, it won't be interesting. And thanks to this false clue, Ichinose-san managed to prove Kenmochi-san's innocence, so it hadn't been a loss of time."

"You're just toying with us! You don't take this seriously, you treat it like it's a game!" Isuke accused.

"I'm not toying with you, I'm evaluating you. And of course I treat this as a game, because it is. And don't forget that I'm the SMSL Gamester."

"I thought that we could be ally, but it seems that I can only view you as my enemy now. You're not trustworthy." Hanabusa said.

"Very well. In my case, I view you all as my opponents." Shuto replied.

The situation seemed to deteriorate, which greatly worried Haru.

"It's not the time to fight! We need to calm down and tried to find the culprit…" Haru tried to say.

"It won't be necessary, because I already know who the culprit is." Suzu interrupted.

The gamester took out something from her pocket and showed it to everyone. It was a half-burned small piece of paper. Something was written on it. Haru tried to read what it was.

"…am Angel Trum..." was the only thing Haru managed to read. The rest had been burned.

"Angel Trumpet!?" Chitaru suddenly exclaimed with shock and rage.

"I see that you also know who it is. It's safe to assume that it was probably written 'I am Angel Trumpet'. Since you know who it is, why don't you explain to everyone who's Angel Trumpet, Namatame-san?" Suzu proposed.

Haru noticed that Chitaru seemed particularly angry when she heard that name.

"Angel Trumpet is an assassin, the ace of Datura Organisation. It's an assassin specialise in poison, they used poison to kill their target, especially the one that can be found in the Datura flower." the fencer answered.

"You're well informed. I found this near the incinerator. It seemed that someone tried to burn their secret." Suzu said.

"Huh? You mean that…Angel Trumpet is one of us?" Haruki asked.

"Yes. I waited until you at least figured out that the murder weapon was poison before telling you."

"Wow, we have two killers in our class. What a coincidence!" Nio exclaimed.

"And you think that Angel Trumpet killed Hitsugi?" Chitaru asked.

"I'm pretty confident that Angel Trumpet is indeed the culprit." Suzu replied.

"And who is Angel Trumpet?" Sumireko asked.

"I'm not sure. I've a doubt, but I'll let you figure out by yourself." the gamester replied.

"Of course. It was useless to ask you. Rather than finding Angel Trumpet's identity, we should establish where the poison came from." Hanabusa proposed.

"Where poison could be found in a school…in the infirmary or the laboratory maybe?" Shiena proposed.

Haru remembered that during the investigation, they made a surprising discovery in one of those two rooms.

"Hanabusa-san, do you remember what we found in the laboratory?" Haru asked.

"Yes, that blood stain on the floor. " Sumireko answered.

"And a bloody scalpel in the trash can." Shinya added.

"If I remember correctly, there also had a tissue stained with blood and another liquid and some broken glasses." Tokaku said.

"Wait, and you only reveal this now!?" the hacker exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't think that it was relevant to Kirigaya-san's murder. And I still don't think so." Hanabusa replied.

Haru wondered if it could be linked to Hitsugi's death somehow. She understood that they need to establish to whom the blood that was in the laboratory belonged.

"According to Tokaku-san, the blood was still fresh. So it means that it had been shed today, probably this evening. Is one of you injured themselves in the laboratory?" Haru asked.

No one answered.

"So it must be Hitsugi-chan's blood." Haru concluded.

"Are you implying that Kirigaya-san was injured by this scalpel? Because her corpse doesn't have any wound or mark." Sumireko replied.

Haru tried to remember in what state Hitsugi's corpse was. Was it true that she didn't have any wound? She remembered that the little one was wearing something on her body that seemed to prove otherwise.

"Indeed, she doesn't have any fatal wound or mark. But she has a bandage on her right hand. So it means she could have a cut wound. Maybe she's the one who injured herself in the laboratory." Haru proposed.

"Hum, that's true. But how is it related to her murder?" Sumireko asked.

"There had another liquid on the tissue. Maybe it was poison!" Haru added. "Shiena-san, did Hitsugi-chan had her bandage on her hand when you saw her in the inner garden?"

"No, I don't think so." the hacker replied.

"So it means that Hitsugi-chan got this injury when it was passed 20h." Haru concluded.

"So you think that Kirigaya-san was killed with poison splatted on a cut she has on her hand?" Sumireko asked.

"Haru isn't sure, but it's a possibility."

"Maybe it was a suicide. She could have voluntary injured herself with a scalpel soaked with poison." Suzu proposed.

"Wouldn't it make more sense that she accidentally poisoned herself? If it was a suicide, she could just have drunk the poison." Sumireko replied.

"There's no way that the SMSL Toxicologist would have accidentally poisoned herself." Shuto said.

"Wait, I thought that it was Angel Trumpet the culprit, why are we talking about suicide or accident?" Haruki asked, confused.

"Angel Trumpet probably attacked her with a scalpel covered in poison." Isuke claimed.

"Hum, I wonder. Ichinose-san, why don't you try to figure out what happened exactly in the laboratory? I'm sure you're able to find out the truth." Suzu suddenly asked.

"I'm also curious to know what you think about that." Sumireko added.

Haru wondered why those two were always asking her opinion. Regardless of that, she tried to figure out what could have happened to cause Hitsugi to be injured in the laboratory. She also didn't think that someone who's a toxicologist would have accidentally poisoned herself, and it didn't really look like a suicide to her. In fact, she couldn't believe that Hitsugi would have killed herself. She must have been killed by someone. So it meant that the culprit must have been near her during the murder in order to poison her with the scalpel.

Haru recalled everyone's alibi. She then realised that only one person could have possibly be able to cause this injury on Hitsugi's hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION! In the comment section bellow.


	16. Chapter 2: Painful truth

Haru tried to make her accusation, but she suddenly became unable to talk. The words wouldn't come out of her mouth, she couldn't tell the name. It was too painful to accuse this person. Haru couldn't believe that _she_ was culprit. No, she couldn't _accept_ this as the truth. There must be another explanation…

"Ichinose, what's happening? Are you alright?" Tokaku asked with a worried look.

"Oh my, what's wrong? Did the cat have your tongue, Ichinose-san?" Sumireko asked with what seemed to be fake concern.

Haru suddenly grabbed her head with her hands. She was experiencing a terrible headache. She didn't want to talk anymore. She couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to participate in this class trial anymore. She didn't want to accuse this person.

Suddenly, she heard a soft voice calling her. Haru raised her head, looking at the one who was talking to her.

"Don't worry, Ichinose. It's going to be fine. You just have to tell us who you think the culprit is." Chitaru began to say with a gentle voice. "Everyone needs to know who killed her…I need to know who killed Hitsugi! So even if you're wrong, you can at least make this class trial continue and help understanding what really happened."

Haru took a deep breath. She doubted even more now, but thanks to Chitaru, she pulled herself together. Everyone's life was as stake, she couldn't remain quiet knowing that. Even if it was painful, she needed to tell them her deduction. She was now ready to make her accusation. Maybe it was the only way to make sure that this person wasn't really the culprit.

"Now that we know that Hitsugi-chan was poisoned directly by someone, everyone's alibis are now valid again. Which means…I'm sorry, Namatame-san, but you're the only who could have possibility injured Hitsugi-chan's hand." Haru declared.

Almost everyone looked shock by this revelation, especially since it was coming from Haru. Suzu only looked neutral about that, while Hanabusa smirked.

"That's true. If Namatame-san was the only one who could have strangled Kirigaya-san, than she's logically also the only one who could have injured her with the scalpel." Sumireko agreed.

"No, you must be wrong! Namatame wouldn't have commit a murder, there must have another explanation!" Shiena protested with disbelief.

"It's pretty obvious what happened. Namatame-san is this Angel Trumpet you were talking about earlier. It would make sense, since she knows so much about this assassin. She wanted to keep her secret safe, so she took advantage of her closeness with Kirigaya-san to remorselessly kill her. She put poison on a scalpel and injured her hand!" Isuke claimed.

Chitaru seemed bothered by the pink haired girl's accusation, but despite that, she remained quiet. Haru couldn't believe that it's really how the murder happened. They didn't even know who was really Angel Trumpet. Suddenly, Haru remembered a detail about someone's alibi that could help establish who is Angel Trumpet.

"Haruki-san, you said that you saw Hitsugi-chan near the incinerator, right?" Haru asked.

"Yes, that's true. What about that?" the redhead replied.

"Was the incinerator activated?" Haru insisted.

"Huh, I don't think so…but it was kind of warm near the incinerator, so I guess that it had been activated not so long ago." Haruki added.

This statement confirmed Haru's doubt. But, she had a hard time believing that it was really the truth.

"What if…Hitsugi-chan was Angel Trumpet? She could be the one who threw her envelope in the incinerator." Haru proposed.

"Well, of course she was Angel Trumpet. I knew it from the very beginning." Suzu added.

"What!? You know, to me it looks like you're only pretending to know everything and waited until it's reveal to say it, only to make yourself look smarter than you are!" Isuke said.

"Eh, maybe you're right. Anyway, it's pretty obvious that Kirigaya-san was Angel Trumpet. I mean, come on, she was the SMSL Toxicologist! It's even more obvious than Takechi-san being Jack the Ripper of the 21st Century." Shuto claimed.

"Even if it's true, it doesn't change the fact that Namatame-san must be the culprit. She's the only one without an alibi. We shouldn't lose more time and vote." Sumireko proposed.

Haru wondered if they were really ready to vote. Was Chitaru really the culprit? She couldn't still believe it. And since she still had a doubt, she didn't want to vote now.

"No, we're not ready to vote! There are still things that we didn't figure it out. Like, why Hitsugi-chan burned her envelope?" Haru protested. "And also…I just can't accept that Namatame-san is the culprit. It doesn't sound right to me."

"You just don't want to accept the truth despite all the facts!" Sumireko accused.

"No, it's because I've faith in Namatame-san! Haru knows deep down that she isn't a bad person. All I'm asking is to wait and continued this class trial a little longer, to be sure that we aren't mistaking. Because now, I don't think she's the culprit, and I don't want to vote until I've no doubt about the culprit's identity." Haru replied.

"Da heck!? Ya were the one who said that she was da culprit, and now she isn't? Just pick a side dammit!" Shinya yelled.

"No, she's right! I also believe in Namatame. We all saw how she was acting toward Kirigaya. How could you possibly think that she would have murdered her?!" Shiena said.

"I trust Ichinose's judgement. And I also…don't think Namatame could be the culprit." Tokaku said.

"I also don't want to vote now. Not because I don't think Namatame-san is the culprit, but because we aren't entirely sure of how the murder happened, and some things are still unestablished. I can't vote in this condition." Suzu said.

"You just don't want this class trial to end, because you're having too much fun." Isuke replied.

"You're free to think what you want, but I honestly think that we shouldn't vote until we have established everything." Shuto said.

"Very well, let's continue. Who else could be the culprit other than Namatame-san? I'm waiting." Sumireko said with annoyance.

Haru tried to think about another possibility, but someone outstripped her.

"Kirigaya could have been the culprit!" Shiena declared.

"What are you saying…she's the victim!" Isuke replied.

"And? Shuto said something interesting earlier. She said that Angel Trumpet was the culprit. Well, Kirigaya is probably Angel Trumpet. And she also suggested the possibility that is could have been a suicide. I think that Kirigaya was enough ashamed of her secret that she killed herself in a attempted to hide it! This is why she burned her envelope, to be sure that we'll never know her secret." the brunette claimed.

"You really are desperate aren't you…" Sumireko commented with a condescending glare.

"No I'm not desperate! I'm sure it's a suicide! Because, when I was in the inner garden, I talked with Kirigaya. She was rambling about how Namatame was a wonderful person, and that somehow, she didn't deserve to be friend with her. Maybe she was so desperate to hide the truth about her being Angel Trumpet from Namatame that she preferred to die."

"Indeed, it could have been a suicide. But it's hard to prove…" Suzu said, while looking briefly at Haru, showing a slight smirk.

Haru wondered what if meant. Did Suzu really believe it was a suicide? Whatever she believed, Haru knew that the gamester wouldn't tell them. It was up to her to discover the truth.

If it was a suicide, it meant that no one would be executed. Even if Haru would want that, she had the feeling that it couldn't be the truth. She didn't think it was a suicide. She remembered the gloomy expression that Hitsugi had each time that Chitaru and Shiena were together. It was painful to admit, but Haru thought that she figured out what really happened in the inner garden.

"Shiena-san, how did you end up unconscious? Why did you smell the gelsemiums?" Haru asked.

"I told you, I don't remember. Hum…I think that Kirigaya showed me those flowers. And then…I tripped on them." the hacker answered.

"I see…Shiena-san, I think that…Hitsugi-chan pushed you on them with the intention of making you unconscious."

"What!? Why?"

"Because…I don't want to believe it, but it must be the truth. She was trying to kill you." Haru declared.

"Huh? But why!?"

"Hitsugi-chan…was probably really Angel Trumpet. She did want to keep her secret safe, but not by killing herself…she intended to commit murder!"

"I stop you right there Ichinose-san. It doesn't make sense. If she really wanted to kill Kenmochi-san, she would have brought a weapon with her to kill her when she was unconscious. But it didn't happen." Sumireko argued.

"Maybe…she didn't plan to kill her. Hitsugi-chan could have met Shiena-san in the inner garden and then decided to kill her. She could have knocked her out first with the intention to come back with poison, but…someone stopped her." Haru replied.

"So Kirigaya-san wanted to commit a murder but ended up being the victim instead? Haha, she was hoist with her own petard." Isuke commented.

"For Angel Trumpet to die poisoned, it's quite the irony. We can even call it karma." Suzu added.

"Wait…who's this 'someone' you're talking about?" Shiena asked, worried.

"It's Namatame-san, of course. She stopped Kirigaya-san…by killing her. Because she's the culprit. Can we vote now?" Hanabusa replied.

"No! It doesn't make sense! Why would Kirigaya waited so long before trying to commit murder? And why me?" the brunette protested.

"Maybe…she didn't consider it to be a problem if her secret was reveal…until later. She could have discovered something that convinced her to hide her secret. And also…she seemed kind of jealous of you being close to Namatame-san." Haru answered.

"What!? That's not convincing proofs! I can't still believe that she tried to kill me. She must have commit suicide!"

Haru was convinced that Hitsugi did try to murder Shiena. Maybe someone had saw the toxicologist carrying something that they didn't found suspicious on the spot, but that now could be a valuable proof. Haru needed to interrogate those who saw Hitsugi this evening.

"Isuke-san, Haruki-san, when you saw Hitsugi-chan, did she was carrying something? Like a container or a bottle?" Haru asked.

"Isuke didn't pay attention to this midget."

"A container? To carry poison? I don't think so…wait. She had something in her hand, but it wasn't a container. First I thought that it was a gun, but I looked at it with more attention and deduced that it must be some kind of toy gun. A water pistol to be exact, which looked really realistic. But I'm pretty sure that I saw some kind of flask fixed to the gun." Haruki replied.

"That's it! It wasn't a toy, but an actual weapon! If she was an assassin specialised in poison, it would make sense that she had some kind of gun that could shoot poison. She must have gone to the laboratory to fill the flask with poison to kill Shiena-san, but she had been stopped and killed before she could do her attempt of murder…" Haru said.

"By Namatame-san. She must have cut her on her hand and after, used the gun to spray poison on her wound in order to kill her. She then cleaned up and threw the proofs of her crime in the trash can." Sumireko claimed.

"You have no actual proof of that! Maybe Kirigaya did try to kill me, but it doesn't proof that Namatame murdered her. And it still doesn't explain why she waited so long before trying to commit murder! What could she possibly learn that could have convinced her to hide her secret after so long!?" Shiena argued.

"Maybe she learned someone's secret and decided that she needed to hide from this person." Suzu suddenly suggested.

"What secret!? And how could she have accessed? The envelopes are in our room, it's not like she broke in someone's room to see their secret." Kenmochi insisted.

Haru thought about this situation. Which one secret she would have seen? The real question was, which one she could have access to? Haru then remembered a similitude between her current situation with Tokaku and the one between Chitaru and Hitsugi.

"Hitsugi-chan…she was sharing a room with Namatame-san. It shouldn't have been a problem for her to saw what was written in Namatame-san's envelope. Whatever is Namatame-san's darkest secret, it must have convinced Hitsugi-chan to keep hers safe." Haru proposed.

"Ichinose, what's your problem!? You said that you had faith in Namatame, but you're still trying to prove that she's the culprit!" Shiena accused.

"No, I…I'm just trying to find the truth, for everyone sake! It's just…Namatame-san! Why are you staying silent? Haru doesn't want to suspect, but you're doing nothing to defend yourself! Please, just say something! Prove that you are not the culprit, I'm begging you! I want to trust you!" Haru asked desperately.

Chitaru looked like she was hesitating to talk. She sighed, and took something from her pocket. It was a black and white envelope.

"Is that…?" Haru began to say.

"Yes, it's my envelope. It contains my darkest secret. I can show you what's inside." the fencer offered.

"You don't have to…" Shiena began to say.

"Please, do so." Suzu commanded.

The SMSL Fencer opened her envelope and took out a piece of paper. She then showed it to everyone. On it, it was written: I came to Class Black in order to eliminate Angel Trumpet.

Shiena's face was livid. Suzu seemed genuinely surprised. Hanabusa couldn't stop herself from smirking.

"Well, well, what we got here. It looks like a motive for Namatame-san to kill Kirigaya-san. So, care to explain the context?" Sumireko asked.

"Angel Trumpet…had murdered the daughter of my teacher. I came to Class Black in order to avenge my teacher." Chitaru answered coldly.

"Sounds like a confession from the culprit. Can we vote now?" Isuke asked with a bored look.

"It doesn't prove that she's the culprit! It just merely proves that Kirigaya had a motive to commit murder. After she went to the laboratory to get poison, she was stopped by Namatame, and she injured her hand with a scalpel. She probably understood that Kirigaya was Angel Trumpet, since she was carrying poison. Too ashamed of herself, Kirigaya drank her poison. It was a suicide!" Shiena argued.

Could it be the truth? That Chitaru really injured her, but it was still Hitsugi who poisoned herself? It made sense, but Haru remembered something she found in the laboratory that could disprove her theory.

"The broken glasses! It must be what's left of the flask that contained the poison. Why it's broken? And there have some liquid on the tissue in the trash can, it must be the poison. She couldn't have drunk it, the poison was splash on her voluntarily by someone!" Haru said.

"She could have only drunk half of it and drop the rest on the floor!" Shiena replied.

"Then who cleaned up?" Sumireko asked.

"Huh…well, maybe its Kirigaya herself who injured her hand to make it look like it was a murder, to make us all executed!" the hacker said.

"She wouldn't have clean up then. It looks like someone tried to hide what happened in the laboratory. Another proof, the bandage on her hand." Suzu replied.

"We didn't even find that gun you were talking about!" Shiena said.

"It's not like we searched all the trash can. It could have been hiding under other trashes." Hanabusa replied.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone became quiet. They must have been quite surprised to hear Chitaru suddenly yelled like that.

"You're all beating around the bush. You're only delaying the inevitable. Now I'm tired of pretending. Since I've learned what I wanted to know in this class trial, I've no reason to keep this act anymore." the fencer said.

"What…what do you mean, Namatame?" Shiena asked with a worried expression.

"Isn't obvious? I'm the culprit. I'm the one who murdered Hitsugi."

Even if almost everyone seemed to suspect Chitaru, they were still surprised by her sudden confession.

"No, it can't be! You're kidding, right?" Shiena asked desperately.

"I'm afraid that it's the truth." Chitaru replied.

"Dafuq Namatame!? Ya were the one who talk about not killin' and ya killed? Were ya lying to us during the class meeting or what?" Shinya asked with a pissed look.

"It seems so. It's the 'act' you're referring to, I presume. You pretended to want to prevent a murder to occur, only to hide the fact that you planned to kill someone, right? You knew that Angel Trumpet was one of us, so you were waiting for all the secrets to be revealed to kill her! You didn't want a murder to occur before the reveal because it would have ruined your chance to find who Angel trumpet was!"

"You guess right, Hanabusa. That was my plan all along. I knew that I would be suspected because of my own secret, but I didn't care. All that matter to me is my revenge." Chitaru replied with a gloomy expression.

"No, I can't believe it…" the hacker mumbled, with tears in her eyes.

"Believe it, because it's the truth. I'm not the person you thought I was. I'm an assassin, I killed a lot of people. I murdered Hitsugi because she was Angel Trumpet. It was my mission, a personal mission. And it's accomplished now, so I've no regret."

"Another assassin? They were three in Class Black? I can't believe it!" Nio exclaimed. "I wonder if there is another one…"

Everyone looked kind of uncomfortable with Hashiri statement.

Despite the fact that Chitaru admitted her crime, Haru couldn't still believe it. Something sounded fake with what the fencer said. She was convinced of Chitaru's good nature. She wasn't sure why Namatame was acting in such a villainous way, but she did have a doubt about the reason why.

Haru remembered some of the clue. The broken glasses, the bandage on Hitsugi's hand, the fact that the proofs in the laboratory were thrown in the trash can, the victim's corpse in the sitting room, the fact that Chitaru claimed to have gone to the infirmary, and some of the things the fencer said during the class trial…and then she understood what really happened.

"Namatame-san didn't murder Hitsugi-chan." Haru suddenly said.

"Wut? Ya really are confusing, Ichinose…" Shinya complained.

"Are you still trying to prove that she isn't the culprit, despite the fact that she herself admitted it?" Sumireko asked.

"She's the culprit, but she didn't commit murder." Haru insisted.

"But that doesn't even make sense!? How is that possible?" Isuke shouted.

"Yes, it makes sense. I'm glad that someone else noticed that other possibility. You can tell them what it is, Ichinose-san." Suzu replied.

"A murder is a homicide that is premeditated. Namatame-san did kill Hitsugi-chan, so she really is the culprit, but she didn't intend to. Hitsugi-chan's death was an accident!" Haru declared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
> 
> Next chapter should be the last one of the second class trial! Prepare yourself!


	17. Chapter 2: Trial by combat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter could cause severe sadness, feel, despair, and hate toward the author. Please don't hate me.

Following Haru's declaration, everyone remained silent for few seconds, until the person in question finally spoke.

"You think that I killed her by accident? That's ridiculous! I intended to kill her, it was a murder!" Chitaru insisted.

"The culprit herself says it. And even if it was an accident, it doesn't change the fact that she's the culprit. We shouldn't lose more time and vote." Sumireko said.

"We knows the 'whodunit', the 'howdunit' is barely explained, and the 'whydunit' seems to be controversial. Sure we know who the culprit is, we could finish this class trial and vote now. But personally, I'm not satisfied with the current conclusion. It's like an incomplete mystery, if we end now we will never know what really happened." Suzu replied.

"Isuke is fine with that. Isuke doesn't care, can we vote now?"

"I can answer your interrogations. I killed Hitsugi, I used poison, and I did it because she was Angel Trumpet…" the fencer claimed.

"No, that's wrong!" Haru suddenly replied.

"I'm the culprit, I'm the only one who know the truth!" Chitaru argued.

"It's exactly because you know the truth that you want to hide it! For our sake!" Haru insisted "You're pretending to be a ruthless murderer because you don't want us to hesitate to vote for you! You don't want us to feel bad for voting for you, you're playing the villain to ease our conscience!"

"No, that's not true…Stop trying to justify what I've done! I killed Hitsugi, it's all that matter…"

"Then why Hitsugi-chan had a bandage on her hand? You're the one who took care of her wound, don't you?"

"I…I only put the bandage to hide the injury! I put it after that I killed her!"

"It's wrong! There only had blood in the laboratory, not in the corridor or in the sitting room. It means that the bandage was put while she was still in the laboratory."

"She died in the laboratory and I brought her corpse in the sitting room."

"So are you the one who cleaned the laboratory?"

"…yes."

"Why would you have taken the time to hide all the proofs of your crime? Were you expecting to get away with it during the class trial?"

"It was…my intention. I wanted to kill and not be discovered, because I didn't want to be executed."

"No, it can't believe that. It's wrong! Otherwise, you wouldn't have admitted yourself that you're the culprit…"

"I knew that I wouldn't get away with it! And I don't care to die now. I killed Hitsugi because I hated her, so stop trying to…"

"If you really hated her, why are you calling her by her first name? You were calling her 'Kirigaya' until the body discovery."

Chitaru became quiet for a moment, before gazing Haru with what seemed to be distress in her eyes.

"Ichinose, please, stop. It doesn't matter how it happened, the result is the same. I killed Hitsugi. Let's stop now and just vote…"

"I'm sorry, Namatame-san, but I can't. Haru views you as a friend, I know that you're a good person. This is why I don't want people to remember you as a murderer. I want everyone to know that you aren't a bad person!"

The fencer didn't reply. She seemed to hesitate, but finally decided to remain silent.

"Namatame-san is a person of honor. This kind of person can be really obstinate. It looks like it's up to you, Ichinose-san, to expose the truth if you want to clear her name." Suzu declared.

Haru knew that whatever she was going to say, it won't change the fact that Chitaru was the culprit. But despite that, she wanted everyone to at least know what really happened. And since the fencer didn't want to admit the truth, she would have to do it.

"Everything began when Hitsugi-chan discovered Namatame-san's secret. At first she didn't thought that it would be a problem if we knew that she was Angel Trumpet, until she found out that Namatame-san wanted to eliminate Angel Trumpet. Too shocked by what she discovered, Hitsugi-chan probably ran away from the room.

For some reason she went to the inner garden. Maybe she wanted to think about a solution there. She was probably already envisaging committing murder. Then, she encountered Shiena-san. Since she felt jealous about her being close to Namatame-san, she decided to kill her. She used the gelsemiums to knock her out, to let her some time to go searched for poison.

She returned to her room to take her envelope and her weapon. She then burned her envelope in the incinerator to be sure that her secret won't be discovered. With the intention to fill her weapon with poison, she went to the laboratory.

In the meantime, the culprit returned to her room to check on Hitsugi-chan. When she didn't found her there, she must have been worried. While searching for Hitsugi-chan, the culprit saw her going inside the laboratory and followed her.

When she saw Hitsugi-chan armed with a weapon filled with poison, the culprit understood that she planned to commit murder. The culprit grabbed a scalpel to disarm Hitsugi-chan, which result in a cut wound on her hand. It must have also broken the flask filled with poison, which explained the broken glasses.

When she realised that she had injured Hitsugi-chan, the culprit left to go searched for something to take care of her wound. She probably didn't notice that she accidentally poisoned her. When the flask had broken, the poison fell on the cut on her hand, poisoning Hitsugi-chan. The latter cleaned the laboratory, but didn't have enough time to clean all the blood.

The culprit came back with a bandage and put it on her wound to stop the bleeding. She then brought her in the sitting room, probably on Hitsugi-chan demand. Realising that she wasn't feeling well, the culprit left to go to the infirmary to get some medicine. It was probably Hitsugi-chan who put the electric wire. She used her last strength to make sure that we won't find out that she died poisoned. She then lay on the couch and died.

And the culprit who accidentally caused Hitsugi-chan death is you, Namatame Chitaru-san, the Super Middle School Lever Fencer." Haru revealed.

Chitaru clenched her fists, still remaining quiet.

"So, Namatame-san, is it the truth?" Suzu asked.

"…I can't tell for Hitsugi, but in my case, it's pretty much what happened." the fencer admitted. "When I discovered Hitsugi with this gun filled with poison, I lost my mind. I understood that she must be Angel Trumpet. I'm not sure why I used this scalpel, I could have disarm her without it. She wasn't even pointing the gun at me. In fact, I think she was trying to pointing it at her…it doesn't matter anymore. I've lost my temper, and it costed Hitsugi's life."

"Hum, something is strange about this deduction. Why did Kirigaya try to hide the fact that Namatame-san killed her?" Sumireko asked.

"I think…that she wanted to protect her. She wanted her to get away with it and win the class trial." Haru said.

"Then why did she try to commit murder? She could have get Namatame-san executed if she succeeded!" Hanabusa replied.

"Maybe Hitsugi-chan's wish was to get out with Namatame-san." Haru proposed.

"No. I won't have authorized this kind of wish. The number of death needs to stay the same. If nine people need to be executed, it will happen, and no wish could prevent this." Monokuma replied.

"So it's only the number that matter, right? Kirigaya-san's wish could have been to exchange place with Namatame-san. So, if she had succeeded in committing a murder without being discovered, she would have been executed to let Namatame-san escape." Suzu proposed.

"Upupu, yes, I could have authorized that." Monokuma confirmed.

"Hitsugi-chan…she must have been so desperate when she discovered Namatame-san's secret. She was probably afraid that she would try to kill her after the time limit, but I don't think it's because of that that she wanted to commit murder. She knew that if she was murdered after the time limit, Namatame-san would be the first one to be suspect because of her secret. She didn't want her to be executed. Hitsugi-chan's goal had always been to protect Namatame-san. "Haru claimed.

"But I still wonder something. Namatame-san, why didn't you confess before the class trial?" Haruki asked.

"I…wasn't sure if it was really me who killed Hitsugi. I kind of hoped that it wasn't me the culprit. I also hoped that I was wrong about Hitsugi being Angel Trumpet. But when I understood that it was really the truth, I decided to confess." Chitaru replied.

Haru remembered the expression Chitaru had when she discovered Hitsugi's corpse. She wasn't pretending, she was really saddened by her death. It must have been painful for her to discover that she was the one who was responsible of her death. Haru was convinced that they both liked each other sincerely.

"I don't want to interrupt your sentimental talk, but I think it's time to vote." Sumireko said.

"No! I won't accept this! It was an accident, she can't be the blackened! Please, don't vote for Namatame, she doesn't deserve to die! It's all Kirigaya's fault, vote for her instead, I'm begging you…" Shiena protested tearfully.

"Kenmochi…I appreciate your concern about me, but even if it's an accident, I killed Hitsugi. I already caused someone's death, I don't want to be responsible for any more deaths if you vote for the wrong person. So please, vote for me. I'm the one who had sinned, I'm ready to accept my punishment." Chitaru replied with a desperate expression.

"Oh, it seems that the majority is ready to vote." Monokuma commented. "Then, everyone, it's time to vote!"

With regret, Haru opened her desk. She didn't want to vote for Chitaru, but she knew that she didn't have the choice. She found the button with the number 9 on it and with some hesitation, she pressed it. She then closed her desk and looked at the screen.

Some kind of graphic appeared on the screen, showing that nine people voted for Chitaru as the blackened and one person voted for Hitsugi. The graphic suddenly disappeared and Monokuma's figure appeared again.

"Congratulation everyone! You guessed right, the culprit who killed Kirigaya Hitsugi is indeed Namatame Chitaru!" Monokuma said cheerfully.

Haru had never felt so bad to be right in her entire life.

"No, it can't be true! I won't accept this! Namatame can't be the blackened! She didn't kill her on purpose! It's Kirigaya's fault! She's the one who tried to kill me, she was poisoned by her own weapon, she should be the blackened!" Shiena shouted.

"It's Namatame-san's hit with the scalpel that caused Kirigaya-san's death. Even if it was an accident, she's still responsible for her death." Monokuma replied.

"But! It's not fair! Why did you all for her? You don't care if Namatame get executed!?" the hacker accused angrily.

"Kenmochi-san, that's enough! Of course it's not fair, but the entire situation we're in is unfair. All we can do is to make sure to allow the most people to survive. This is what _she_ wanted, this is why _she_ got killed…" Suzu replied. "Namatame-san is the one who asked us to vote for her, so stop ruining her resolve with your childish protestations."

Haru was surprised to see Shuto being so mad. She also understood who she was talking about. It seemed that the gamester was still mourning Kouko's death.

"It's fine, Kenmochi. I've accepted my fate. I'm ready to receive my punishment. I also…don't want any more death on my hands. I already told you that I came in Class Black to kill Angel Trumpet. I've accomplished my duty, so I can die without regret…"

Suddenly, tears began to roll from Chitaru's eyes, flowing on her cheeks.

"…it's what I would want to think, what I should think…then why am I feeling so sad? I don't understand. Hitsugi was…Angel Trumpet. I was determined to kill her. It was my mission. So why am I feeling so bad to have killed her? Why am I regretting it so much?" Chitaru added tearfully.

"Namatame-san…" Haru mumbled with sympathy.

"Ah, I can't stand all this crying thing. It's time for the execution. It's punishment time!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"No!" Shiena pleaded while crying.

The fencer wiped her own tears and gazed at the screen.

"No needs to drag me by force. I don't intend to run away." Chitaru declared.

"Very well. Then, you know the way." Monokuma agreed.

The secret door opened. The SMSL Fencer turned back, and began to head toward the secret corridor. She suddenly stopped midway.

"Thanks for defending me, Kenmochi. And everyone, I'm sorry. What I did was unforgivable. But I want you to know that I wasn't lying during the class meeting. I hope that my death will be the last one." Chitaru said before continuing to walk.

"Namatame-san, wait!" Haru suddenly said.

The fencer stopped once again, and turned back.

"To answer your question…Haru thinks you're sad because deep down, you know that you would have forgiven Hitsugi-chan. You liked her, and…it was mutual." Chitaru seemed surprise at first, but she then showed a weak smile.

"I don't know if it makes me feel better, but…thank you, Ichinose.

Chitaru turned back and went inside the secret corridor, and the door closed behind her.

* * *

The SMSL Fencer arrived inside of what seemed to be a courtroom. The jury, the judge, the lawyers and the witnesses were all teddy bears with the same design as Monokuma. Chitaru noticed that the Monokuma at the witness stand was wearing angel's wings and was holding a trumpet. She also spotted a placard under the judge's seat. It was written on it: " _The fencer's trial_ ".

Chitaru noticed that her sword was on the floor. She grabbed it and she drew it, ready to fight. As soon as she had the sword in her hand, the Monokumas rushed toward her, showing their sharps claws.

The fencer dodged their attacks and destroyed some of them with her swords. Despite their preponderance, Chitaru was dominating the fight. She began to run while fighting, heading to the witness stand.

Suddenly, she felt a terrible pain in her back. One of the Monokumas succeeded to claw her. She received another hit on her belly, and another one on her left shoulder. Despite the pain, she continued to fight. She needed to at least confront the angel Monokuma before dying.

She finally succeeded to destroy all the regular Monokuma. Heavily bleeding, she approached from the witness stand. The Monokuma with angel's wings looked at her and began to play the trumpet. Chitaru didn't think that she could stop her execution by destroying it, but she needed to at least try.

With her sword, she tried to impale the last Monokuma. The latter continued to play the trumpet, while pointing the musical instrument toward her. Suddenly, something came out of the trumpet and hit Chitaru on the right shoulder. The fencer fell on the floor, realising too late that it was a dart. There must have been a weapon hidden in the trumpet, a gun that could shoot darts.

Chitaru began to feel terribly dizzy. The dart must have been poisoned. The fencer realised that she was about to die the same way as her teacher's daughter, poisoned in a courtroom. What a cruel way to execute her.

She suddenly saw a blinding light. Chitaru was sure that she could see a familiar figure in it. She raised her hand, trying to reach it.

"Hi…Hitsu…gi…" she whispered weakly.

Her body became too weak. Her arm fell on the floor. She let out her last breath. The poison finally killed her, but Chitaru died with a slight smile on her face.

* * *

Chitaru's execution had been shown on the screen. Shiena had not being able to watch it, she was still crying, her head lying on her desk.

"Haruki…are you crying?" Isuke asked.

"I…yes. It's just…too sad. I can't help it." the redhead answered with tears in her eyes.

"Dat sucks. She was kind of cool." Shinya said.

Haru really wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She promised herself that she won't cry anymore. She looked at Tokaku and was surprised. The blue haired girl looked so shocked, it seemed that Chitaru's death really affected her. Haru wondered if Tokaku did consider the fencer as her friend after all.

"Upupu…your cries of despair are wonderful. I can't wait to see more of them at the next class trial." Monokuma exclaimed.

Haru clenched her fists with anger and approached from the screen.

"You won't see more of them! We won't continue to get along with your cruel game! There's no way that any of us will try to commit murder after what happened to Namatame-san. You won't have what you want, Monokuma! The game is over!" Haru declared furiously.

Her statement only managed to make Monokuma grinned even more.

"We will see about that. But I can guarantee you that the despair you feel right now won't be the last one, upupu…"

_Survivors remaining: 9_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ships remaining: 3
> 
> Again, I'M SORRY! I love Chitaru, she's one of my favorite AnR characters. But I have to! For the sake of despair!
> 
> Damn, writing this reminded me on AnR episode 6. I cried so much while watching it. It also reminded me some of the most unfair class trials in DR. I feel terrible.
> 
> So this is the end of chapter 2. One minute of silence for my OTP who died in this chapter.
> 
> ...
> 
> (One minute later)
> 
> Ok, let me just clarify one thing. Chitaru was poisoned by the Datura flower, which according of what I read, can caused hallucination. So yeah, she was high when she died. The light was only her imagination.
> 
> Trivia: Hitsugi was supposed to be the third victim, not the second one. This case was also initially supposed to be a murder-suicide between Hitsugi and Chitaru. But I changed my mind because I didn't want to do something too similar that what happened in AnR. And also because I wanted to execute Chitaru (once again, I'm sorry). I also thought about the possibility that Chitaru could kill herself during the class trial by drinking poison, but like I said, I wanted a proper execution for her.
> 
> Outtake- Suzu: Tell them Ichinose-san!
> 
> Sumireko: But, it's my line...
> 
> Togami: I'm pretty sure that I'm the original owner of this line.
> 
> Anyway, that's it for chapter 2, I hope you liked it. 1/3 of the story is written! I'll began to work on chapter 3 soon. Thank you all for your support and have a nice day!


	18. Chapter 3: Traitor

_"Ichinose-san, what do you think is the strongest between justice and love?"_

_Haru couldn't see well. Everything was blurry around her, she couldn't even tell where she was. But, she was sure that she had recognised Hitsugi's voice. Haru saw an uncertain figure in front of her, a human figure, with a small height. The voice was coming from this figure, which Haru identify to be Hitsugi._

_"Haru doesn't think that those two are comparable. There are both strong in their own way."_

_Those words came from Haru's mouth without that she could control them, she had the impression that she was a TV character with a predestined script to say._

_"So let me ask this in another way. What do you think is the more important for Chitaru-san between justice and love? What do you think someone like her would choose?"_

_"Haru…isn't sure. Could Namatame-san choose both? Justice and love aren't mutually exclusive…"_

_"I'll give you an example. What if someone you're close to is in love with you, but you discover that this person did something unforgivable to a friend of yours? What would you do? Accept their love or avenge your friend?"_

_"Nothing is unforgivable. If this person really regrets what they've done and asks for forgiveness, Haru will forgive them. If Haru loves them too, I'll also accept their love. Haru doesn't know what happened between you and Namatame-san, but what I know, is that vengeance isn't justice."_

_Before she could hear Hitsugi's answers, everything became dark around Haru. Suddenly, she was now in what seemed to be a hospital room. This time, Haru could see clearly. She discovered Chitaru, lying on a hospital bed. The red haired girl was looking at the window._

_"Namatame-san…" Haru softly called._

_"I…love her. But despite that, I can't forgive her. I can't forgive myself either…I also did something unforgivable. I regret what I did, I shouldn't have done that. What I did…it was only vengeance disguises as an act of justice."_

_Chitaru, who was still looking the window, turned back to face Haru. It was easy to guess by the red haired girl's face that she was terrible tired and weakened._

_"Is she…how's she doing?" the fencer asked with hesitation._

_"Well…Hitsugi-chan was discharged from the hospital recently, she had returned to class…do you want to see her?" Haru replied._

_Chitaru took few seconds before answering._

_"I…don't think I can face her now. I'm not ready. Not after what happened…"_

_The red haired girl went back to looking at the window._

Haru opened her eyes. It took her some time to understand that she was lying in her bed. What she had seen was only a dream.

She wondered the signification of her dream. It seemed to be about Hitsugi's fear to be hated by Chitaru, and Chitaru's regret for what she did to Hitsugi. But, what she dreamt of didn't seem to reflect exactly what happened in reality. Where these scenarios came from, why did she imagine them…?

She suddenly heard a slight noise. It sounded like…a sob? Someone was sobbing near her.

Haru turned back to see the person who was sleeping next to her. Tokaku…she had tears that were coming from her closed eyes!

It took few seconds for Haru to process what was happening. The blue haired girl was crying in her sleep. Despite her surprise, Haru decided to at least do something. She stretched her arm to reach her nightstand and opened the drawer. She searched in it, until she found what she was looking for. It was a handkerchief.

Haru sat in her bed, before slightly leaning on Tokaku. Using the handkerchief, she proceeded to wipe the blue haired girl's tears. But, as soon as she touched her face with the tissue, Tokaku suddenly opened her eyes. It was only a matter of time until she grabbed and shoved her on the bed, ending up on top of Haru.

"Ichinose…? Sorry, it was a reflex…Wait. What were you doing on top of me!?"

"You…you were crying, so Haru wanted to…"

"Huh? Crying? What are you talking about…?"

Tokaku slightly touched her own cheek, before looking at her hand. She had tears on it. The blue haired girl looked at it with a concerned expression, she looked like she discovered that she was bleeding.

"Did you have…a bad dream? Do you want to talk about it?" Haru asked.

Immediately, Tokaku laid back, turning her back to Haru.

"Tokaku-san…? Are you…"

"It's nothing. Just go back to sleep."

Haru didn't insist. She closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep again.

"I dreamt of…Namatame." the blue haired girl suddenly said.

Haru reopened her eyes. Tokaku was still turning her back to her.

"Namatame-san? What was your dream?"

"It wasn't something sad. We were…running together. It looked like we were training. And we were also chatting…happily, I think. Like we were…more than just simple acquaintances."

"Like friends?"

"I'm…not sure. I'm not used to have friends, so I can't tell."

"And what made you cry with this dream?"

"I…didn't even notice that I was crying. But…I think it was because I realised that whatever was the meaning of this dream, it could never became true. Because Namatame is…"

The blue haired girl suddenly became quiet.

"Can we…go back to sleep now?" Tokaku asked.

"Yes, sure. It's still the middle of the night after all."

Tokaku continued to show Haru her back. Haru delicately wrapped her arm around her roommate's waist. The blue haired girl said nothing. Haru closed her eyes and fall asleep again, still holding Tokaku close to her.

* * *

It was passed 9am when Haru and Tokaku arrived at the cafeteria. They both had overslept. When they arrived at the cafeteria, they were only one person already there. Haru went joined her.

"G-Good morning, Shuto-san." Haru said.

Suzu didn't respond to her immediately. Haru noticed that she was playing with cards. It seemed to be a solitaire game. The gamester suddenly raised her head and looked at her.

"Oh, hi, Ichinose-san. Just a moment please."

Suzu took a card a put it on top of a pack of cards and turned back to face Haru.

"I've finished my game."

"You're playing cards, alone?" Tokaku commented. "What's the point?"

"To pass time efficiently and to refine my skills. It's also a good way to sharp the mind. You should try too Azuma-san, I think you need it."

Tokaku looked bothered by her insinuation, but she didn't reply.

"Let just say that it was boring here on my own." Suzu added.

"What do you mean? You overslept too?" Haru asked.

"Overslept? Me? I'm a morning person. I'm awake since 6h30 and I came into the cafeteria at 7h like always." the gamester answered.

"But, you should have seen the others." Tokaku said.

"No, I think they're still sleeping. The class trial finished quite late, so it's understandable. You're the first ones I saw today." Suzu replied.

Haru was surprised. She thought that she would be late for the breakfast, but everyone else were even later than her.

"Why won't you sit with me so we could play a game together?" Shuto proposed.

"Haru would like it…"

"No." Tokaku interrupted.

"Why are you so afraid of me, Azuma-san?"

"I'm not afraid of you, I don't trust you."

"Why are you so beware of me? Do I look threatening?"

"Isn't it obvious? You claimed that you'll win this 'game'. There's only two way to win. You either kill someone and not be discovered, or survive enough longer to be one of the two survivors. Since I can't tell how you envisage winning, it's normal that I'm cautious with you."

"You really think it's the two only ways to win this game? You're not used to think outside the box, don't you?"

Despite what Tokaku was saying, Haru didn't think that Suzu had bad intentions. She remembered something that the gamester said during the class trial that confirmed her thought.

"Haru doesn't think that Shuto-san wants to kill someone to win, or wait until she's one of the two survivors. Because, she said that she wanted to allow as many people as possible to survive. Isn't that right, Shuto-san?"

"You're a good listener, Ichinose-san. All of this, it's a game. As a gamester, I can certify you that there's a lot of way to win a game. There's always a loophole, and it's my speciality to find it. Once I'll find it, I'll have win, and this game will be over."

"You may be a games' specialist, but how can you be so sure that you're going to win this one?" Tokaku asked.

"I'm not just a regular gamester, I'm the SMSL Gamester. Into the last decade I only faced defeat once…"

"Decade?" Haru tried to ask.

"…and it was against a gambler. A young girl, a doll-like one with a gothic look, who despite her really clear Japanese origins, was known with a European name. She had been a formidable opponent, I never enjoyed so much a game where I had lose. What was her name again? Celes… something Berg.

"Whatever who this girl was, did you have figure out something that could help us getting out of this school?" Tokaku interrupted.

"Maybe. How about you sit with me so we can talk about that in a civil way?"

With some hesitation, the blue haired girl sat in front of Suzu, while Haru sat next to Tokaku.

"To me, it's obvious that whoever is this Monokuma, he's not here. I think that he's somewhere outside the school, or just not in the main building. And he's obviously not one of us. He's the mastermind behind the game, the game master, but he needs someone on site to make sure everything went according to his plan. This person…could be one of us. I think that someone here is secretly working with Monokuma, this person could be called the ringleader…"

"This ringleader you're talking about, could we call them a traitor?"

Haru turned back, to discover that the one who talked was Shiena.

"Kenmochi-san, it seems that you're the fourth one to wake up." Suzu commented.

"Actually, I never went to sleep." Shiena replied.

Haru looked at the hacker's face. She didn't notice at first because of her glasses, but Kenmochi did have dark circles under her eyes.

"That's not good, a young girl like you who's still growing needs to sleep every night." the gamester reprimanded.

"Who are you, my mom?"

"I'm more the grandma type."

"What?"

"Nothing! Anyway, to answer your question, I don't think that 'traitor' is the more fitting term. The ringleader is loyal to Monokuma, this person was never really part of our group. So by logic, they couldn't have betrayed us if they were always on Monokuma's side…"

"This person pretends to be one our side, she fakes to be our classmate while helping Monokuma toying with us. This person is clearly a traitor!" Shiena argued.

"Very well, if you want to use a simpleminded word to describe this person, that's fine. So what about it? Do you know something about this 'traitor'?" Suzu asked.

The brunette looked around nervously, before sitting next to Shuto.

"Remembered when I said that my darkest secret was on a USB key? Well, it not the only things that's on it. There are encrypted data on the USB key." Shiena whispered.

"Why are you whispering? And how could you see what's on this USB key?" Tokaku asked.

"Because he could hear us. And I've a laptop."

"You have a laptop!?" the blue haired girl exclaimed.

"Not so loud! Yes, I've one. I'm a hacker, duh. But it's not like I could ask for help, there isn't any Wi-Fi here."

"And I suppose that you had decrypted those data?" Suzu asked.

"Partially. I've decrypted one of the data. It's a message. It warned me about the traitor. According to this message, there is someone who helped Monokuma trapping us here, and this person is among us. This person is the traitor, or the ringleader like you said."

"So this is why you didn't sleep…" Haru commented.

"How can you be sure that those data are real? After all, this USB key came from Monokuma." Tokaku said.

"I don't think that it's him who put them there. I'm sure that it's someone from the outside who's trying to help us. This USB key could be the key that will allow us to escape. This is why I must decrypt all the data. I must find this traitor and defeat her, to save everyone, before that another murder occurs…"

Shiena suddenly rose up.

"I need to go back to my room. Every second counts, if I don't hurry, someone could…it's up to me to save everyone." the brunette declared.

The hacker left the cafeteria in hurry. Suzu glanced at her with a curious gaze that seemed to be a mix of interest and incertitude.

"What a scatterbrained girl. She didn't even take her breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day…I'll bring her something to eat." Suzu said. "See you later."

The gamester picked up her cards and left the table, leaving Haru and Tokaku alone.

Haru was worried for Shiena. It looked like Chitaru's death really affected her. Haru hoped that the hacker won't become obsessed with finding the traitor to the point that it could put her life in danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's always a traitor in the Danganronpa's stories. So, who's the the traitor/ringleader? But the true question is, who's Monokuma? Who's behind all of this and why?
> 
> Writing this story made me realise how much Suzu is a great character. She's now one of my favorite (but she ain't my AnR waifu).
> 
> There was a trivia that I forgot to mention in the previous chapter's note. Originally Hitsugi's talent was suppose to be botanist. But since there is already a Ultimate Botanist, I changed it to toxicologist. But I still prefer botanist, it make it less obvious that she's related to poison.


	19. Chapter 3: Scars

Haru looked the envelope on her nightstand with incertitude and worrisome. It was a regular envelope, all white. But Haru knew that she wasn't the one who put it there, and she didn't think it was Tokaku either. She had notice this envelope when she was changing clothes to put her pajama, so she was currently only wearing her bra and her skirt.

Cautiously, Haru approached from the envelope and took it. She examined it first. Her was name was written on it, so it must be addressed to her. Nervously, Haru opened it to see what was inside.

Nothing. The envelope was empty. It confused Haru even more…

"Ichinose!? Are you alright?"

Haru recognised Tokaku's voice.

"Tokaku-san, everything's fine. It's just that envelope that was on my nightstand when I arrived, someone must have put it there when we were gone…"

She then realised that the blue haired girl wasn't asking that because of the envelope. Tokaku asked that because she saw her body.

"Those injuries…what happened, were you attacked?!"

When she saw that Tokaku was approaching from her, Haru grabbed her shirt and hid her body with it.

"Don't look at them! I-It's nothing…"

"But you're hurt!"

"No, there are just…scars. There are old injuries, no need to worry about them."

"Can I see them?"

"What? No! I don't…want you to see this part of me. There are gross, I don't want to be disgusted by me…"

"Gross? Ichinose, there's no way that you're going to disgust me. You can show them to me."

Haru hesitated. Tokaku seemed really interested by her scars, which was kind of disconcerting. But, she had the impression that the blue haired girl won't let it go. She already saw them, so it was no use to hide them anyway.

Slowly, Haru removed the shirt and revealed her body to Tokaku. Her roommate looked at her intensely, which made her quite uncomfortable. Suddenly, she approached even more from Haru and stretched her hand.

"Those wounds…there must have been done with a knife…"

When the blue haired girl was about to touch one of her scars, Haru recoiled.

"No, you can't! That's embarrassing…"

"It is?" Tokaku replied, confused. "How did you get them? "

Haru sat on the bed's edge and sighed. She didn't really want to talk about this, but she wanted to be honest with Tokaku.

"Those scars…Haru got them during assassination attempts against me."

"Assassination attempts? You mean…assassins did this to you?"

Haru answered yes with a nod. Tokaku suddenly seemed uncomfortable with this revelation.

"Why did those assassins…try to kill you?"

"Because…Haru is part of a clan, and the fact that I'm alive bother a lot of people. Haru can't say more, I'm sorry."

This was all that she was willing to confess to Tokaku about herself.

"You…must not be really fond of assassins, right?" the blue haired girl said with some discomfort.

"Not really, but it's not because of what they have done to Haru. They are killing people, and killing is wrong no matter the reason. But…Namatame-san claimed to be an assassin, and she wasn't a bad person…Hitsugi-chan was also an assassin and Takechi-san a serial killer. Even if killing is bad, Haru suppose that they had their reasons to do it. They are humans after all…"

An awkward silence started between them, which last for at least one minute.

"Can you…turn around? Haru wants to put her pajama."

"Huh? Oh, right, sure."

Tokaku turned back, while Haru removed her remaining clothes to put her pajama.

"It's ok, you can turn back." Haru said.

The blue haired girl faced her, before looking at the envelope.

"What were you saying about this envelope? Don't tell me that it's a motive!?"

"Haru doesn't know…my envelope is empty."

"Hum, that's strange. Maybe the person who put that there forgot the letter? Let go see in my old room if I've one too."

Haru agreed and they both went to the blue haired girl's original room. They discovered an envelope on the nightstand. Tokaku took it and showed it to Haru.

"My name's on it."

"If you want to open it alone, Haru can leave…"

"No, it's fine."

Tokaku opened her envelope and revealed what was inside. Just like Haru's envelope, it was empty.

"What's the meaning of that!?" Tokaku exclaimed.

"Haru doesn't no either…maybe the others received an empty envelope too? We should go talk to our classmates."

"If you think so, then let's go see them."

They both left, but as soon and they were outside the room, they encountered one of their classmates.

"Oh, there you are, Ichinose-san, Azuma-san!" Sumireko said.

"Hanabusa-san? Is there something wrong?" Haru asked.

"It's a moot point. I suppose that you had received an envelope too? Well, it's probably the third motive. And one of us is currently raging against a camera because of it. Everyone gathered near the vending machines to talk about this, you need to come too."

Haru wondered how an empty envelope could be a motive to commit murder.

Without further explanation, Sumireko left. Haru went after her, followed by Tokaku.

* * *

They arrived at the vending machines. Everyone from Class Black was there. Well, those who were still alive.

Isuke was currently insulting the surveillance camera, or more exactly, the one that was observing them behind it.

"Come on, show yourself, you fucking bear freak! Come and explain why you put that envelope in my room! Where did you get it?!" Isuke shouted angrily.

Haru was surprised to see the pink haired girl being so mad, especially over a simple empty envelope.

"Upupu, looks like you all discovered my new motive."

Haru turned back when she recognised the voice, and discovered a screen with Monokuma's figure on it. So it was really the third motive! But how it was possible…?

"Where did you get that letter!?" Inukai yelled.

Haru didn't understand. What letter? Neither her nor Tokaku had a letter in their respective envelope.

"These envelopes contain a letter that has been sent to you by one of your relatives or close friends." Monokuma explained.

"I've seen that. The real question is, how were you able to get them?" Sumireko asked.

"That's secret! Let just say that these letters were sent to Myojo Academy." the headmaster replied.

"Those letters, how long since they were sent?" Haruki asked.

"Like I'm going to tell you, you bastards! If you want to know, go ask yourself the person who wrote your letter. But for that, you know what you need to do, upupu."

The redhead clenched her fists, showing a frustrated expression.

"Huh, you're talking about a letter since earlier, but…I don't have a letter in my envelope." Haru said.

Everyone looked at with a surprised expression, except Suzu.

"Oh, there's a logic explanation for that. You see, to receive a letter, you need someone to send it first, right?" Monokuma asked.

"Yes…?" Haru replied.

"Well, if you have no one to send you letters, you can't have a letter. So, it means that there's no one outside that care for you enough to send you a letter, or they're just not alive anymore." Monokuma said.

It was painful for Haru to hear, but it's not like she didn't know that all her relatives were not alive anymore. It seemed that Tokaku was in the same situation as hers, which made Haru even more sad.

"Well, if your relatives miss you so much, you just have to commit murder! Otherwise, you'll never see them again! Upupu…"

Suddenly, Monokuma disappeared from the screen. Shiena ran back to the dormitory. Haru wondered if she had received a USB key with encrypted data again.

Haru really hope that this time, the motive won't work. After all, how a letter from a relative could lead someone to commit murder?

* * *

"No, Tokaku-san. Stay here. Haru's going to go take you something at the kitchen."

"But…"

"No but! If Haru let you go by yourself, you'll take curry for breakfast again. That's not healthy."

"So I'll go with you…"

"No! Haru knows you, you'll try to grab some curry secretly. Wait me here, Haru isn't going to take long."

Tokaku seemed to hesitate for a moment before letting her go. The blue haired girl remained at the table, while Haru went to the kitchen.

When she arrived in the kitchen, Haru discovered that there was already someone in there. Isuke was currently…observing the cooking tools? Maybe she wanted to cook herself something…

"Isuke-san, what are you doing?"

The pink haired girl turned back to face her. At first she looked surprise, but she then smiled sweetly.

"Oh, isn't it Haru-chan. Isuke could ask you the same question."

"Haru is here to take something for breakfast."

"Well, Isuke too."

Haru knew that the pink haired girl was one of the people here that Tokaku disliked the most. But Haru didn't share this feeling. Indeed, Isuke was a rude person, but Haru wanted to believe that she also had a nice side. After all, the kick-boxer had never been mean toward her.

"So, is that true? That your envelope was empty?" Isuke suddenly asked.

"Huh…yes."

"Isuke finds it hard to believe you. Someone as friendly as you must has people that care for her, no?"

"There were people that cared for me, in the past. Unfortunately, they are…no longer with us."

"Oh, sorry. My condolences."

"It's ok, Haru is fine. What about you? From whom did you receive your letter? If you do not mind my asking."

"Isuke doesn't mind. It's a letter from my mama."

"Your mother? What kind of person is she?"

"He. Isuke's mama is a man. My father is also a man."

Haru was kind of surprised. It's the first she heard about someone whose parents are two men. Well, after all, love could come in many forms.

"To answer your question, Isuke's mama can be really ruthless with others, but with Isuke and his lover, he's a loving person. He's ready to do anything for his family's sake, and so am I. Isuke really miss them…"

Suddenly, the pink haired girl began to approach from her. She was still smiling, but her smile seemed kind of…venomous. Haru recoiled a little bit, but she was stop by the wall. She was cornered.

"…and Isuke is sure that they miss her too."

"Huh, Isuke-san? It's going to be alright, you'll see them again. Someone will eventually come to rescue us…"

"What if no one came to save us? You want us to stay here forever?"

"…Haru thinks that killing is wrong, no matter the reason. Haru prefers to stay here for the rest of my life rather than hurting someone."

"Well, Isuke doesn't."

The SMSL Kick-Boxer was now in front of Haru. She had nowhere to run.

"Isuke has an idea for our problem. A way for both of us to be reunited with our loved ones."

The pink haired girl slightly touched Haru's cheek, before stroking her hair. Haru shivered, feeling that her life was in danger.

"Isuke-san, please, don't do that. You'll be executed if you get caught."

"Well, Isuke just have to make sure she isn't discovered."

"You won't…get away with this."

"Don't underestimate me. Now, die for Isuke's sake."

The pink haired girl grabbed Haru's head. When she saw Isuke's hand approaching dangerously from her neck, Haru was ready to scream for help…

"Attention everyone! This is the Body Discovery Announcement. A body has been discovered in the gymnasium's storage room. You're invited to go there for more information."

Isuke released Haru and recoiled slightly.

"Tss, someone was faster that me." she said with frustration.

Haru was shocked. Despite the fact that this announcement pretty much saved her life, it also meant that…someone had been murdered.

"Ichinose!"

Haru noticed that Tokaku came inside the kitchen.

"Inukai! What were you trying to do!?"

Isuke suddenly grabbed Haru by her arm, with a little bit too much strength.

"Nothing. We were just having a little friendly chat. You don't need to worry, your girlfriend is fine." Isuke replied with a smile that looked awfully faked.

The blue haired girl approached from them and pushed Isuke away, before placing herself in front of Haru.

"What a brute! Rather than be beware of Isuke, what about we go to the crime scene? To see who died this time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who died this time? It can't be Haru, Tokaku or Isuke.


	20. Chapter 3: Hopeless

"…No, it can't be…" Haru mumbled desperately.

Everyone had gathered inside the gymnasium's storage room after the announcement. Inert on the floor, there was Haruki's body, her head lying in a puddle of blood. The room looked like it had been ravaged, a lot of sport's and gymnastic equipment were scattered on the floor.

Isuke barely looked at the corpse. When they first came here, Haru was sure that she saw sorrow into the pink haired girl's eyes. But now, Isuke was almost acting indifferent.

"Wow, that's the first time that everybody's here after the announcement! I'm proud of you, my dear students." Monokuma said. "The victim is Sagae Haruki-san, the SMSL Street Fighter. You'll investigate her murder and try to find the culprit during the class trial. You know, the same thing as usual."

Monokuma stopped talking for a moment, before he continued to spoke again.

"Oh, before that you start the investigation, there is a rule that I changed. Rule #9: The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people, discover a body for the first time." the headmaster added.

"Wait, isn't…the same rule as before?" Mahiru commented.

"Almost. He only removed one part, about the fact that the blackened doesn't count." Suzu replied.

"Why? It doesn't make sense. How could the culprit discovers the body if she's the one who committed the murder?" the lady protested.

"If the blackened goes back to the crime scene with someone else or if the body already had been discovered by at least on person, the culprit will be considered as one of those who first discovered the corpse." Monokuma explained.

"Why? What's the point?" Tokaku asked.

"I don't want the rules to be used again to prove or disprove arguments during the class trial. And it wasn't fair for the blackened." the headmaster answered.

Haru remembered that during the last class trial, she used this rule to prove Nio's innocence, as well as Tokaku's alibi and hers. Monokuma didn't like this, it must be why he changed the rule #9.

"Unfair for the culprit? What a joke…" Isuke mumbled bitterly.

"In any case, you're free to begin the investigation. I'll warn you when it would be the time to begin the class trial. Good luck! Upupu…"

It was the last thing Monokuma said before disappearing.

"Hum, what an undignified game master. Changing the rules just because he's unsatisfied with the result…" Suzu said. "Anyway, this room is quite big. I'm sure there are a lot of clues here. We should all start to investigate here…"

Isuke didn't bother listening to the gamester and left the storage room. The others stayed and split up in order to investigate the room more efficiently.

Tokaku approached from the corpse to examine it, while Haru looked at all the object around Haruki. The first thing she noticed was a bloody baseball bat.

" _Could it be the murder weapon?_ "

Haru examined the other objects. The one near Haruki's head were stained with blood. Those objects were a basketball, a bucket and a skipping rope. Near the redhead left's side, there were some tennis rackets and a long regular rope. Near her right side, there were shuttlecocks, a soccer ball and a flag. She also noticed that there were also some dumbbells and baseballs scattered near the corpse. There were also some metallic shelves fixed on the floor that was storing the gym's equipment.

"Sagae…she has two wounds. One injury on her forehead, and the other on top of her head. Her forehead is slightly slotted, while her skulls is cracked open. The wound on her head is most likely the fatal one, Sagae died from a blunt head trauma and massive blood loss." Tokaku said.

"Tokaku-san…could the baseball bat be the murder weapon?" Haru asked.

The blue haired looked at the baseball bat, as well as the others objects near the corpse.

"Hum, it's a possibility. I doubt that a tennis racket or a ball could have cause such an injury. Well, a dumbbell could also be the murder weapon, but there isn't any blood on them, so it's pretty unlikely." Tokaku replied.

So among the objects here, only the baseball bat could be the murder weapon. Another evidence of it was the blood on it. Unlike the other bloody objects, the bat wasn't near Haruki's head. It was near her feet.

"This place is so messy. It's almost like a fight happened here." Sumireko suddenly commented.

The lady approached from the corpse, followed by a nervous Banba.

"You think that Haruki-san had a fight with the culprit before being murdered?" Haru asked.

"It's quite possible. It would explain why this room is a total shambles." Hanabusa added. "But, Sagae-san was the SMSL Street Fighter. Which means her murderer needs to be strong enough to win a fight against her. In other words, the culprit must also be a fighter."

Judging by everyone's talents, there was only one person left that was a fighter. But Haru doubt that she was the culprit. After all, Isuke was trying to kill her before the announcement. Unless it has been a ruse…

Haru noticed that Shiena was alone in a corner. The hacker's face was livid. Worried about her, Haru went to see her.

"Shiena-san, are you alright?"

"It's…my fault. I didn't find the traitor, and because of that, Sagae died…"

"That's not true! It's not your fault. It's the culprit who's to blame…no, in fact, it's Monokuma's fault. His motive caused a murder to occur. You did all you could do, you don't need to feel guilty.

"All I could do…wasn't enough. I need to find the traitor, otherwise there will be more death!"

Before that Haru could say something else, Shiena suddenly ran way and left the room. Haru was tempted to follow her, but she concluded that the hacker probably needed some time alone. She felt really bad for Shiena. The poor girl seemed to take everything on her shoulders and blamed herself if something went wrong.

"Ichinose-san, would you come here? I've something to show you."

It was Suzu who called her. Haru went to join her. The gamester was near a ladder that was leaning against a wall. The ladder was long enough to reach the ceiling.

"Do you think that…this ladder is somehow linked to the murder?" Haru asked.

"I don't know. It's more the ceiling's structure that intrigues me." Suzu replied.

Haru looked at the ceiling. There were multiple girders fixed under the ceiling, covering the majority of the surface.

"Shuto-san, are you perhaps thinking that…someone could have climb on those girders using the ladder? But why?"

"It's a possibly. The culprit could have hide on a girder and attacked Sagae-san by surprise. Someone physically agile could probably had jump from there and land safely. The height of this room seemed to be around 3-5 meters." Suzu explained. "Or maybe I'm just overthinking it. Maybe it's just the usual place where this ladder is put."

Haru wondered if it could be the truth. Wad it possible that the culprit used the girders as a way to kill Haruki? The culprit could have jump from there and used the redhead to cushion the fall. Maybe it was why she had an injury on her forehead. Then the culprit could have use the baseball bat to murder her. But if it was really what happened, then why this place was so messy? Could Haruki have had the time to fight back before being killed?

"Whether it's the case or not, it will be an interesting point to bring up in the class trial." the gamester added.

"You're probably right…"

"Anyway, I think that I've finished investigating this room. I'm going to look for Kenmochi-san."

"Huh?"

"I saw her running away. It's a rather odd behaviour, even for her. I want to make sure that everything is alright with her."

Without further delay, Suzu walked away and left the storage room.

"Ichinose, it doesn't seems like there are other clues here. Maybe we should investigate somewhere else?" Tokaku proposed.

"It's a good idea…"

"Can I come with you?" Nio suddenly interrupted.

"No." the blue haired girl replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Why!? I just want to help you!" the blonde girl protested.

"Tokaku-san, Haru thinks that we should let her come with us. Nio is our classmate, no needs to be so mean with her."

"But she's a trash. She even admitted herself…"

"Even trashes can be useful!" Nio argued. "Some of them can be recycled and become something new."

"Then die and reincarnated into someone less trashy." the blue haired girl replied.

"Tokaku-san!" Haru said on a reprimanding tone.

Tokaku sighed, before she turned back.

"Do as you wish, I don't care." her roommate said, before heading to the exit.

With some hesitation, Haru followed Tokaku, while making a sign to Nio to follow them.

* * *

They didn't find anything that seemed related to Haruki's murder in the school. It seemed that all the action had happened in the storage room, all the clues were there.

Suddenly, Haru spotted an open door. All the other doors in this corridor were closed.

"Let's go check this room!" Haru proposed.

Her two companions agreed and the three of them went inside. It was a classroom. But it wasn't empty.

"Isuke-san? What are you doing here?" Nio asked.

The pink haired girl turned back, a thin book in her hand. A spiteful grin appeared on her face.

"Isuke was searching for clues, but I found something more interesting."

Haru wondered if it was the book she was holding.

"Maybe Isuke will reveal what she learned during the class trial, if I have the opportunity."

The kick-boxer suddenly glanced at Tokaku in a disdainful way. The blue haired girl did the same.

"Attention everyone! The allotted time for the investigation is now over! Please come to the elevator near the vending machines, it's time to start the third class trial!"

* * *

Haru remained few seconds in front of the elevator. Monokuma had welcomed her with a distasteful commented when she arrived: "Look like a third murder had really occurred, look like I was right. And it happened faster than I thought, upupu."

Haru tried to think about something else. She didn't want to let the despair take over her. But she hoped so much that no other would occur after Chitaru's execution. It was also the fencer's last hope before her death. Haru couldn't believe that she'll have to undergone another class trial, which will result with the death of another classmate. This situation was so hopeless, the deaths won't stop, until there is only two survivors…

No, she couldn't think like that! Even if the situation seemed hopeless, it wasn't a reason to let despair win. If she couldn't hope anymore, she just had to have faith. Haru had faith in herself, in her classmates, and in the outside world. They will find a way to defeat Monokuma and escape this school, because it was what Haru wanted to believe in.

She went inside the elevator and the door closed behind her. The elevator began to go down, bringing them to this place where they will all put their life at stake again, a place where at least one person will lose their life.

" _Haruki-san…she was such a nice and friendly person, always there to ease the mood, she was getting along with almost everyone…but unfortunately, she was killed. Her murdered is one of us. If this person isn't discover, everyone else will be executed. To avoid that, Haru will definitely uncover the culprit's identity during this class trial!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who killed Haruki? And aren't the blunt head trauma murder case supposed to be usually in the second chapter in DR games? Oh well.
> 
> Third class trial next chapter! If you like this story, don't hesitate to give a kudo or write a comment, it's always encouraging for the author ;)


	21. Chapter 3: Let's the third class trial begin!

There they were again in this despairful room, forced to doubt each other until someone is voted guilty and condemned to be brutally executed. Just thinking about their tragic situation made Haru feel hopeless again. But, they didn't have the choice. For the sake of the guiltless ones, they had to find the culprit.

The circle of desks had diminished once again, it had now only eight desks. In the center of the circle, a coffin containing Haruki's corpse was there.

Chitaru and Hitsugi's pictures, with a red X on their face, had been fixed on the wall, near those of the other people who had died. Once again, a flower had been put under the picture of those who recently died.

"The flower under Namatame-san's picture is a red rose, which symbolize love. The one under Kirigaya-san's picture is a white rose, which can mean innocence or childlike." Suzu suddenly commented.

"How ironic. Innocent is the last term that I would you to describe Kirigaya." Shiena said with bitterness.

"Well, Kirigaya-san did _look_ childlike and innocent, so I think this flower is fitting. And we shouldn't forget that roses can have thorns." Nio replied.

"Personally I think that a Datura flower would be more fitting." Sumireko commented.

"Maybe, but…it's a poisonous flower. It could be dangerous here." Hashiri said back.

"The ironic one is the flower under Namatame-san's picture. Love, seriously? We're talking about the woman who killed a person she supposedly 'loved'…" Isuke replied.

"No, Haru thinks you're wrong. Namatame-san did liked Hitsugi-chan! She didn't mean to kill her, it was an accident, and she regretted it. And she liked us too, this is why she confessed her crime. She wanted us to stay alive. So yes, "love" is a term that fit Namatame-san!" Haru protested.

"And despite that, there are people who still want to commit murder." Tokaku added while she glanced at Isuke with reproached.

"Ok, that's enough. Everybody go to your seat, it's time to begin the third, and despairfully not the last, class trial!" Monokuma exclaimed.

Reluctantly, Haru went to her seat, followed by everyone else. She noticed that Banba's desk get it previous appearance back, most likely because she had her Mahiru's persona. Because of Chitaru and Haruki's death, Suzu was now between Shiena and Nio.

"So, I'm pretty you are now quite familiar with the class trial's procedure, but I'll explain it again anyway. I know how much you like my gorgeous voice." Monokuma continued. "You'll argue with each other and try to find the culprit who killed Sagae Haruki. When the majority of you will agree, you'll vote to determine who you think had committed the murder. If the blackened is discovered, this person alone will be executed. But if you vote for the wrong person, everybody except the blackened will be executed and this person will graduate and as a reward, will have a wish granted. Without further ado, let's begin the class trial!"

Haru noticed that Nio handed a cards packet to Suzu. The gamester sighed and smiled slightly, before taking the cards deck and she began to shuffle them.

"I'll begin this class trial saying that Banba-san and I are the second and third persons who discovered the corpse. Hashiri-san is the one who warned us about the body. So, I would like to know in what circumstance you had discovered Sagae-san's corpse, Hashiri-san, since you're the first person." Sumireko said.

"What, I'm already suspected!? Well, it's understandable, since Monokuma changed the rule about the body discovery." Nio replied.

"Indeed. You came to the scene crime with me and Banba-san, so you could be the culprit. But I'm not particularly suspecting you more than anyone else." Hanabusa added.

"So, when I passed near the gymnasium, I noticed that the storage room's door was open. I decided to go close it and I discovered Haruki-san's corpse. I ran way and encountered Hanabusa-san and Banba-san, so I warned them." Hashiri explained.

"And I can confirm that the announcement was made right after the three of us went inside the storage room." the lady said.

"But like you said earlier, you went together at the scene crime, which means that the culprit could be one of you." Suzu commented.

"I wasn't saying that to have an alibi, I was merely stating the facts." Sumireko replied.

"Speaking of alibi, we should establish that first." Isuke declared.

"There are things that we need to establish first if we want to prove alibis, like the time of death. We should also discuss the cause of death and the murder weapon first." Shuto replied.

"Sagae died from a head trauma and a massive blood loss. The murder weapon is probably a blunt object." Tokaku claimed. "She also had a minor injury on her forehead."

Haru remembered the many objects that were surrounding Haruki's corpse. One of them was very likely to be the murder weapon.

"I think that Haruki was killed with a baseball bat. There was one near her corpse, with blood on it." Haru declared.

"It would make sense. Sagae was attacked by the culprit and she received a hit on her forehead, and another one on her head." Sumireko said.

"Judging by the fatal wound's extent, it would be safe to assume that the culprit is physically strong." the blue haired girl added.

"Now that we established the cause of death, we should try to figure out when Sagae-san died. When was the last time you saw her alive? In my case, I saw her going inside the gymnasium this morning. I was with Kenmochi, so she can confirm." Suzu said.

"It's true, I was with Shuto and I also saw Sagae going inside the gym." Shiena confirmed.

"The last time that I saw Sagae-san was yesterday when the third motive was revealed." Sumireko replied.

"Ah, m-me too…even if it was Shinya…" Mahiru said.

"Neither me nor Ichinose have seen her today." Tokaku said.

"Haruki came to talk with Isuke this morning in my room." the pink haired girl revealed.

They waited for Nio's reply, but the blonde girl remained silent. Her gaze was concentrate on the cards she had in her hands. Since Suzu was also holding cards, Haru assumed that they were playing a game together.

"Hashiri-san, you need to answer too. When was the last time you saw Sagae-san alive." the gamester asked.

Nio raised her head and looked around with a confused expression, before she seemed to be somehow embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't listening! Hum, I only saw Haruki-san once today, and she was dead."

"So there are only three people who claimed to have seen the victim alive this morning. Do you remember what time it was when you saw her?" Sumireko asked.

"I couldn't tell exactly, but it was 10-15 minutes before the announcement." Shiena replied.

"It was around 7h20." Isuke answered.

"If I remember correctly, the announcement was made at 7h40. So me and Kenmochi-san had probably saw Sagae-san at 7h25 or 7h30." Suzu added.

"So the murder took place between 7h25 and 7h40. We need to establish alibis for this period of time." Hanabusa concluded. "In my case, I was at the cafeteria, and I went to the bathroom. It was when I came out that I encountered Hashiri-san."

"Isuke was in her room."

"Haru and Tokaku-san were also in their room."

"I was with Kenmochi-san in the sitting room." Suzu said.

"I was…at the cafeteria…and then at…the bathroom." Mahiru said.

Once again, Nio didn't reply.

"Hashiri-san, your alibi. You need to tell it." Shuto said.

"Huh? Oh, right. Hum, I was wandering inside the school." Nio answered.

"So you don't have an alibi." Sumireko affirmed. "How unfortunate."

"Eh? Wait…am I screwed?" Nio asked.

"If you can't provide a decent alibi, I'm afraid that you'll be the prime suspect." Hanabusa added. "You could have lied about finding Sagae-san's corpse. If you are the culprit, you could have kill her and go warn someone to make yourself look less suspicious."

"Hum, I'm not so sure about this. After that I saw Sagae-san, me and Kenmochi-san went to the sitting room until the announcement. I saw Hashiri-san wandering near the sitting room, she was coming from a corridor that lead to the exact opposite of the gymnasium. It was around five minutes before the announcement. I don't think that she could have kill Sagae-san in barely five minutes, especially since the crime scene's state seemed to show that there was a fight." Suzu argued.

"It could still be possible, but it's true that put that way, it seems pretty unlikely. Especially because I doubt that Hashiri-san is enough strong to fight and defeat Sagae-san." Hanabusa replied.

"Oy, that's rude! I'm super strong!" Nio protested.

"Hashiri-san, it's your turn to play." Suzu said.

"Ah, sorry!" the blonde girl apologised.

"Wait! So you think that the culprit was stronger than Sagae?" Shiena asked.

"Well, it's a possibility, or at least equally strong than her. We already know that the culprit it quite strong, but remember the room. It was a real shambles. Let's not forget that the victim was the SMSL Street Fighter. None of us is injured. So it means that the culprit managed to fight and murdered an experienced street fighter without being hurt. To me, it only means one thing. The culprit was not only strong, but also an experienced fighter too." Sumireko replied. "There is only one person here who fitted this criterion. Ichinose-san, we talked about that during the investigation. You probably know from whom I refer to."

Haru remembered that she talked about the possibility that the culprit was a fighter with Sumireko during the investigation. She had established, judging by everybody's talents, who could have fight equally with Haruki. Haru still didn't believe that she was the culprit, but she decided to answer the lady's question.

"Hanabusa-san…you think that Isuke-san is the culprit?" Haru replied.

"What!? How dare you suspecting Isuke, you bratty rich girl?!" the pink haired girl shouted angrily.

"It's clearly not with that kind of reaction that you'll make yourself look less guilty." Sumireko replied. "You are the SMSL Kick-Boxer, I believe that you could stand a fair chance to win in a fight with Sagae-san."

"You're suspecting Isuke just because of my talent!?"

"Not only that. Your alibi proves nothing. You claimed that you were in your room between 7h25 and 7h40, but it's not true. At some point, you were at the cafeteria. Don't try to lie, I saw you. The last time that I saw you, you went inside the kitchen, and it was around five minutes before the announcement. You can't prove that you were in your room during all this period of time before going at the cafeteria. I believe that you could have kill Sagae-san during those ten minutes." Hanabusa-san added.

Haru knew that it couldn't be true. Isuke had definitely tried to kill her in the kitchen, there was not misunderstanding possible. It wouldn't make sense that she tried to commit a second murder. Unless that it was some kind of ruse. Isuke could have only pretended to intend killing Haru, to make it more unlikely that she had killed Haruki.

No, it couldn't be. It was the announcement that prevented Isuke to kill Haru. There was no way that the pink haired girl could have predicted exactly at which moment the corpse would have been discovered.

Haru was sure that Isuke wasn't the culprit, but she couldn't tell the others why. It would only create more conflicts. She had to find a way to make the others acknowledge Isuke's innocence, otherwise they could vote for the wrong person and everyone except the culprit would be executed. To prevent that and to allow the debate to continue, there was only one solution. She wasn't proud to do this, but she knew it was the best solution. To solve this problem, Haru will have to tell a lie.

"That's…wrong. Isuke-san can't be the culprit. She was definitely in her room before she went to the cafeteria! Tokaku-san and I exited our room around 7h30 to go to the cafeteria. I saw Isuke-san leaving her room at that moment. But, since I've forgot something, I went back to my room and then left again. This means that Isuke-san barely arrived sooner than us at the cafeteria." Haru pretended. "So she has an alibi between 7h30 and 7h40, and I highly doubt that she could have committed the murder in only five minutes."

Haru noticed that Tokaku gave her a disapproving glance, but she said nothing. The blue haired girl must understand why Haru was lying, since she knew why Isuke couldn't be the culprit.

"Oh, is that so? Then, what did you forget?" Sumireko asked with a doubtful expression.

"My vest! I forgot to put my vest." Haru replied quickly. "So I went back to my room to put it."

"I see. Azuma-san, you were there too. Is that true?" Hanabusa insisted.

"Yes, it's true. It would be stupid to lie to cover up a potential culprit." Tokaku replied.

"Very well. Back to square one. We will need to check verified everyone's alibis…" the lady began to say.

"Wait. You thought that Isuke was the culprit because I'm a fighter, right? Well, what if Isuke tells you that someone else here is also a fighter?" the pink haired girl interrupted.

"Huh? Another fighter? Care to tell us who and how do you know this?" Sumireko asked.

Isuke slightly giggled. Haru had the impression to see malevolence into her eyes.

"Well, maybe 'fighter' isn't the best term, but this person surely know how to fight and must be quite skill physically. You just have to look at everyone's talents and you'll find out who Isuke is talking about."

After saying that, Isuke showed a thin book. Haru recognized that it was the book that the pink haired girl was holding during the investigation.

"The truth is written in that book. Hum, if Isuke reads it to you, you won't believe me…Hey, you, you look like a bookworm. I'll let you read it to everyone."

Isuke suddenly put the book on Shiena's desk. With some hesitation, the hacker took it and opened it.

"It's…our school profiles. Our name, blood type, height, mensuration, student number, previous school and talent are written in it." Kenmochi commented. "But… the profiles of the student #10 to #13 are missing. It looks like their pages have been ripped."

Haru wondered what it meant. Could it be possible that one of them had lied about her talent and was in fact some kind of fighter?

"Trust me, what is left of this book is well enough to understand what Isuke meant. Begin with the end." the pink haired girl asked.

"Ok…Huh, #9 is…Namatame…the SMSL Fencer. #8…was Takechi, the SMSL Florist. #7 is Shuto, the SMSL Gamester. #6 was Sagae, the SMSL Street Fighter. #5 is, well, me, the SMSL Hacker. #4 was, eh, Kirigaya, the SMSL Toxicologist. #2 is Inukai, the SMSL Kick-Boxer. And #1 is Azuma, the…huh?!"

Shiena suddenly raised her head and gazed at Tokaku with a shocked expression, before continuing.

"…Super Middle School Level Assassin!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, Tokaku is the SMSL Assassin!? Nobody saw that coming! ...Right?
> 
> Looks like Haru had play NDRV3.
> 
> That's what you get for helping Isuke, Haru. She put your girlfriend in deep trouble. What an ungrateful *itch.
> 
> I've a little gift for you: https://img4.hostingpics.net/pics/380814protagharu.png


	22. Chapter 3: The secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this short chapter (it's the shortest of all the chapters for now), but you'll understand why at the end why I had to end the chapter at that moment.

Everyone remained silent for a moment after this revelation. Haru could hardly believe it. She couldn't accept this as the truth. She trusted Tokaku too much to easily believe that she might me an assassin.

"Tokaku-san…what's written in this book is a lie, right? That's not…your real talent, isn't it?" Haru asked.

The blue haired girl stayed quiet for few seconds and avoided Haru's eyes.

"It's…the truth. I'm the SMSL Assassin." Tokaku replied.

Haru didn't find anything to respond. Her last hope that this book could be fake had been crushed.

"And why did you hide your talent from us?" Suzu asked.

"I didn't intent to at first, but when I learned that we were forced to participate into a killing game, I concluded that it was in my best interest to hide my talent." Tokaku answered.

"Indeed, it was safer for you. But unfortunately, your secret is known now, and at the worst time for you." Sumireko replied. "A professional assassin stands a chance of defeating and kills an experienced street fighter. And you're not just a regular assassin, you're the SMSL Assassin. You could be the culprit."

"That's also what Isuke thinks."

"Well, I must admit that it's hard to not suspect an assassin…" Shiena said.

"It's true that I'm an assassin, but I didn't kill Sagae!" Tokaku protested.

Everyone began to argue loudly. Haru couldn't keep up with the debate anymore. All the talking sounded like a hubbub for Haru. She didn't even have the will to raise her head to look at her classmates.

Haru wasn't sure how she felt about this revelation. She didn't feel mad or betrayed, but it hurt her to discover this truth. She would have wanted Tokaku to tell her herself her talent, but in the other hand, Haru never really asked about it. She understood why Tokaku wanted to keep it a secret, but she would have also wanted her to trust her enough to tell her. Haru felt so conflicted, she didn't want to be mad at Tokaku, but she couldn't help herself from being pained.

She then realised that it didn't really matter, at least for the class trial. Tokaku was still the same as before. She always have been an assassin, it's not because it was now known that it changed the situation. To continue this debate, Haru needed to think rationally and not let this revelation clouded her judgement. She could talk about that with Tokaku after the class trial, but for that, she needed to find the culprit first.

"Tokaku-san can't be the culprit!" Haru suddenly shouted.

Everyone suddenly became quiet and looked at Haru. The majority of them seemed surprised to have heard her yelled.

"Ichinose-san…even if you know that she's an assassin, you still blindly trust her. How disappointing of you." Sumireko replied arrogantly.

"It's not about trust! Yes, Haru still believes in Tokaku-san, but it's not why I think she isn't the culprit. She has an alibi, she was with me between 7h25 and 7h40!" Haru argued.

"So you were really always together for all this period of time, right?" Hanabusa insisted.

"Well…when we arrived at the cafeteria, Haru went to the kitchen while Tokaku-san waited near the tables…"

"So you weren't _always_ together. Azuma-san could have committed the murder when you were in the kitchen." Sumireko replied.

"But…we were separate for barely 5 minutes…"

"I believe that it well enough time for a professional assassin to kill someone." the lady responded.

"And what about you? You said that you were in the cafeteria, but I didn't see you when I went there!" Haru replied.

"You reply by suspecting me? How pathetic. I said that I was at the cafeteria and then I went to the bathroom. I left the cafeteria after that Inukai-san arrived, so it's normal that you didn't saw me there." Sumireko answered.

"Can you prove it? Because you could have left the cafeteria and went to the gymnasium to kill Haruki-san." Haru retorted.

"Huh…Hanabusa-san…came to join me at the bathroom. I saw her…coming from the corridor that leads to…the cafeteria." Mahiru suddenly said shyly.

"Exactly. I met Banba-san in front of the bathroom, just before we encountered Hashiri-san. The corridor leads to the cafeteria from the side I came from, while the other side leads to the gymnasium. It's impossible for me to have gone to the gymnasium to commit a murder and then came back from the complete opposite side." Hanabusa replied triumphantly.

Haru couldn't deny that Sumireko's alibi was strong. But something she had said about the corridor gave her an idea to prove Tokaku's innocence.

"So you were in the corridor that connects the cafeteria and the gymnasium all this time, which means that you should have seen Tokaku-san going inside this corridor! If she was the culprit, she should have passed into this corridor twice, it's impossible that you wouldn't have seen her!" Haru argued.

"Well, maybe she took another path to go to the gymnasium." Sumireko replied.

"It would have been a long detour, she couldn't have done that in only five minutes. Tokaku-san was with me in the kitchen when we heard the announcement, there's no way that she could have done all this distance in five minutes." Haru insisted.

Hanabusa suddenly became quiet. She looked kind of annoyed by Haru's deduction.

"I understand that it's easy to suspect Azuma-san because she's an assassin, but we should verify everybody's alibi before beginning to accuse someone." Suzu suddenly said.

"Huh? What?! Azuma-san is an assassin!?" Nio shouted with surprise.

"You should really focus on the class trial, Hashiri." Shiena replied.

"Azuma-san is the SMSL Assassin." Suzu added.

"What, really? Another assassin!? It's almost if the class was full of assassins." Nio replied with a giggle.

"So, can you confirm you alibi? Kenmochi-san and I were together all the time, so we can prove each other alibis." the gamester said.

"I confirm that it's true." Shiena said.

"Isuke was in her room until 7h30. Then I went to the cafeteria. Haru-chan had already confirmed it."

"I was wandering near the sitting room, which is far from the gymnasium. Shuto-san confirmed it." Nio replied.

"I was at the cafeteria and then I went to the bathroom. Banba-san proved my alibi and I can confirm that she was indeed at the bathroom." Sumireko said.

"…It's true." Mahiru agreed.

"I went to the cafeteria with Ichinose. She went to the kitchen and since she was taking a long time, I went to join her there." Tokaku said.

"Like Tokaku-san said, we were almost always together, so we can confirm each other's alibis." Haru added.

Haru thought about everyone's alibi. They seemed to be all plausible, everyone had someone to back up their alibi.

"Let's recall what we had already established for this case. The culprit is someone who's strong and knows how to fight. The culprit fought with Sagae-san in the gymnasium's storage room and win. The culprit hit her twice with a blunt object, probably a baseball bat. On hit on her forehead, and the other on her head. It's the second hit that was fatal. The victim died from a head trauma and fatal blood loss. The murder occurred between 7h25 and 7h40. The culprit didn't dispose of the evidences, so she must have been quite in a hurry to leave the crime scene." Suzu narrated.

"Isuke is still betting her money on Azuma-san being the culprit. All the others who killed or attempted to kill were assassins." the pink haired girl said.

"You're one to talk. You're no better than me, Inukai." Tokaku replied angrily.

Haru thought about all the clues. She tried to think about the people who could be enough strong to fight and defeat Haruki. Some of her classmates corresponded to this criterion. She then recalled their alibis and tried to find one that was weaker than the other alibis.

She found the weakest alibi. The person who had this alibi could be strong under a certain circumstance, and her alibi was the most equivocal. This person could have been in the gymnasium between 7h25 and 7h40. Even if it was hard for Haru to accuse her, it was highly possible that she was the one who murdered Haruki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION!


	23. Chapter 3: Desperate rebuttal

Haru took a deep breath, before gazing at the person at her right. It was hard to suspect her, but she was the only one who, according to Haru's reasoning, could have done the murder.

"Are you the culprit, Mahiru-san?" Haru asked.

The silver haired girl blenched and began to shake nervously.

"I-I…" Banba began to say.

"Of course she isn't! How can you think that Banba-san is the culprit!?" Sumireko protested.

"Well, she doesn't really have a solid alibi. You claimed that you had met Mahiru-san at the bathroom, but it doesn't confirm that she didn't commit the murder. She could have killed Haruki-san and then went to the bathroom!" Haru replied.

"She was with me at the cafeteria before going to the bathroom. She didn't have enough time to commit a murder!" Hanabusa argued.

Haru thought about this. It's true that if Banba was with Sumireko at the cafeteria before going to the bathroom, it could possibly confirm her alibi. It depended of how long they were separated, and Haru had the impression that Hanabusa won't give her a clear answer if she asked. She then realised that there was another person that could confirm or disprove Banba's alibi.

"Isuke-san, when you arrived at the cafeteria, did you see Mahiru-san with Hanabusa-san?" Haru asked.

"No. The only one that Isuke saw at the cafeteria when I arrived was Hanabusa-san."

"And you arrived their barely passed 7h30, which means that Mahiru-san doesn't have an alibi between 7h30 and the moment she met Hanabusa-san, which was a little before the body discovery. So she had almost ten minutes to commit the murder." Haru added.

"If she didn't leave the cafeteria before 7h30…" Suzu commented.

Sumireko looked so flustered, while Mahiru begin to shiver nervously even more.

"I-I…didn't…do…" Banba tried to say.

"Banba-san can't be the culprit!" Hanabusa suddenly replied. "We establish that the culprit must be strong enough to overpower Sagae-san. Do you really think that Banba-san could beat Sagae-san? Should I remember you that she's barely able to move a couch from one centimetre? Kenmochi-san, you were there when she tried, you can confirm!"

"Ah, yes, that's true…The other day Banba tried to move the couch in the sitting room and she wasn't able to." Shiena responded.

"Well, I can't argue against that. _Mahiru_ -san couldn't have won a fight against Sagae-san. Ichinose-san, maybe you want to revise your theory?" Suzu said with a smirk.

Haru found that Shuto's voice sounded weird. She didn't have the impression that the gamester was trying to dismiss her theory, more like she was giving her a clue. Haru realised that Suzu never called Banba by her given name and understood what she meant.

"It's true, Mahiru-san couldn't have beaten Haruki-san in a fight. But Shinya-san could!" Haru declared.

"That's ridiculous! They both share the same body, she should have the same strength!" Sumireko protested.

"Well, Banba's split personality is the SMSL Demolisher. I believe such a title means that she has some kind of great amount of strength." Tokaku replied.

"It's a made up title! That doesn't prove anything!" Hanabusa argued back.

"Huh, even if it's true that Banba's primary persona is weak, I believe that her other personality is quite strong." Shiena began to say. "I saw her once at nighttime in the gymnasium. She was with Sagae, they seemed to be playing baseball together. Sagae was throwing the ball and Banba was hitting it. Her hits were powerful, her strength had nothing to do with her Mahiru's persona."

"It doesn't make any sense! That's can't be true! A split personality can't change someone's strength…" the lady replied.

"In fact, yes it can. Human beings aren't using the maximum of their strength. Our brains limit our physical strength to protect our body. But, with a rush of adrenaline, we can become temporally stronger, and for some people the amount of strength gain can be phenomenal. And part of our strength can temporally increase due to a psychological reason. So yes, Banba-san's split personality can be quite stronger than her." Suzu explained.

Sumireko looked like she wanted to protest, but she said nothing. She seemed so conflicted and emotionally unstable, which wasn't in her habits. Haru wondered if it was because she was close with Banba.

"No, you're wrong! Shinya wouldn't have done that!" Mahiru suddenly shouted.

Everybody suddenly looked at the silver haired girl. They looked all surprised, it was the first time that Mahiru raised her voice like that.

"Shinya, she…she wouldn't have kill someone without my permission, she would have only done that if I ask her. And I didn't."

"What's that supposed to mean!? Did Shinya-san kill people on your commend? Are you also a fucking serial killer or what!?' Isuke shouted.

"She…Shinya's existence…is to protect me. Shinya is always there to protect me, all she does is for my sake…" Mahiru responded with a gloomy expression.

Haru noticed that Banba's eyes looked insane. The silver haired girl almost seemed to be crazy right now. Well, she shouldn't be sane to begin with, since she had a split personality. But now, she almost looked psychotic.

"Maybe it was her way to protect you. She committed murder to allow you to escape." Suzu replied.

"No, she won't…she won't have done this…not without me knowing…"

"Isn't it possible that you don't share the same memory?" Shuto asked.

"We…we do share the same memory, but sometimes…I don't remember things that Shinya does…"

"So Shinya-san could have killed someone without you knowing about it." the gamester concluded.

Tears began to roll from Mahiru's eyes and she showed a pained expression. She then grabbed her head with her hands and began to scream.

"No, it's not true! Shinya won't do that! She would never betray me! Shinya is the only one I can trust! Stop doubting Shinya!"

"Mahiru-san, calm down…" Haru said, worried.

"Well, it's obvious what happened. You can tell just by looking at this psycho. Her split personality killed Haruki and she don't even remember." Isuke said bitterly.

Haru noticed that Sumireko was looking at Banba with a saddened expression.

"The game was rigged!" Nio suddenly exclaimed. "You cheated!"

Haru turned back and saw the blonde girl dropped her cards.

"As a gamester, there is nothing that I hate more than cheaters, so don't insult me please." Suzu replied.

"I want to replay!" Nio said.

"…Maybe latter. Unlike me, you don't seem to be able to play and be attentive to the class trial." the gamester responded.

Hashiri looked around her with a confused expression.

"Did I miss something important?" Nio asked.

"Banba-san is the culprit. Or rather, Shinya killed Haruki." Isuke answered.

"Wow, really? I wouldn't have expected that!" the blonde girl exclaimed.

"It's still not a certitude." Sumireko argued.

"It's obvious that it's her! And there's nothing that disprove that Shinya is the culprit." the pink haired girl replied. "Can we vote now?"

Haru wondered if it was true. She was the one who brought up that Banba was maybe the culprit, but something bothered her with Isuke's statement. And the way Mahiru reacted when Shinya was accused seemed really genuine. Haru suddenly remembered a particularity between Banba's two personalities.

"Wait! Haru doesn't think that we're ready to vote. There's something that doesn't make sense. The murder occurred passed 7h."

"And?" Isuke interrogated.

"It's daytime! Shinya-san is only there when it's nighttime! It's impossible for Shinya-san to commit murder during daytime." Haru replied.

"That's really your argument? And weren't you the one who accused Shinya in the first place?" Isuke retorted.

"I asked Mahiru-san if she was the culprit, and I also suspected Shinya-san. I changed my mind since I understood that Shinya-san is only there during nighttime."

"That's true! Mahiru-san is there the day, and Shinya-san the night. Everyone can testify it. Since we established that Mahiru-san wasn't strong enough to fight and kill Sagae-san with a baseball bat and that Shinya-san couldn't be there during daytime, we can conclude that both Banba-san's personalities aren't the culprit." Sumireko claimed.

Haru felt that something was off with Hanabusa's statement. In fact, something was off with the entire debate. All this class trial's arguments were made under the assumption that the murder weapon was a baseball bat. What if they were wrong about that? It would disprove almost all the things they had established about the culprit.

"You're right, Mahiru-san couldn't have killed Haruki-san with a baseball bat. But that doesn't mean that she isn't the culprit. She could have killed Haruki-san with another object." Haru declared.

"What are you saying, Ichinose-san? That's ridiculous! Of course that the baseball is the murder weapon! So stop trying pretending that Banba-san is the culprit." Sumireko replied angrily.

"Hanabusa-san, you're acting quite emotional for someone who's usually so insensitive. That's so unlike you. Are you letting your emotions taking over your rational thinking?" Suzu commented.

"I don't want to hear this from someone who is still not over Kaminaga-san's death!" the lady retorted.

"…It's true that I'm still mourning Kouko-chan, her death really saddened me. But I don't let this affect my judgement." the gamester replied stoically. "Banba-san is the only who doesn't have an alibi, she the primary suspect."

"No she isn't! The baseball bat is the murder weapon, what else could it be!" Sumireko protested.

Haru tried to remember the other objects that were near Haruki's corpse, an object that could be used as a weapon to kill. Other than the baseball bat, there were other objects that were bloody. But none of them seemed to be usable as a weapon…unless…

"The bucket. It's really bloody, maybe…" Haru began to say.

"That's absurd! You think that Banba-san could have killed Sagae-san with a bucket?" Sumireko replied.

"Not just the bucket…with something in addition." Haru said.

She remembered something that Tokaku said during the investigation. According to her, another object could be used to cause a blunt head trauma, but since it wasn't bloody, the blue haired girl didn't think it could be the murder weapon. Now the situation had changed.

"The dumbbells! The murder weapon could be the bucket filled with dumbbells!" Haru concluded.

"This is preposterous! You're pretending that Banba-san lifted a bucket filled dumbbells, which is really heavy, and used it to hit Sagae-san on the head? That's probably the stupidest thing that I ever heard." Hanabusa replied.

"Maybe she used it in another way to kill Sagae-san. Ichinose-san, I believe that we talked about a particularity with the storage room's structure. I'm sure you can figure out a way to use the bucket and dumbbells to kill someone without to have to hit them directly." Suzu said.

Haru did remember that she talked with the gamester about the ceiling's structure. She also remembered at deduction about how the ladder leaning against the wall and the girders fixed to the ceiling could have been used to commit the murder. She then understood how the bucket could have been used as a murder weapon.

Haru hesitated for a moment to say her theory. She knew that what she was about to say was going to crush Sumireko's hope of Mahiru being innocent. Haru knew that she'll cause her to feel pain and maybe even despair, but she didn't have the choice. Even if Hanabusa was desperate to prove that Banba wasn't the culprit, Haru will refute it, for the majority's sake.

"There have girders fixed under the ceiling, and a ladder is leaning against the wall. The ladder is enough long to reach the ceiling. Mahiru-san could have climb on the ladder and went above the girders with the bucket filled with dumbbells, and drop it on Haruki-san's head. Considering the room's height, it should be enough to kill her from a blunt head trauma." Haru theorised.

Hanabusa gazed at her with consternation, before she suddenly regained her composure and her usual ladylike expression.

"You definitely have too much imagination, Ichinose-san. What you are pretending is impossible. A bucket filled with dumbbells is way too heavy for Banba-san." Sumireko replied.

"Not if she brought the dumbbells one by one." Isuke said.

"It would take too long, she couldn't have done all of this in ten minutes." Hanabusa refuted.

"Not if she had prepared this trap a while ago." Suzu replied.

"It's the third motive that caused a murder to happen, and Monokuma gave us those envelopes yesterday. Banba-san shouldn't have the time to prepare this trap." Sumireko insisted.

"Nothing ensures that it's the third motive that convinced her to kill. Maybe she already had planned to commit murder before the third motive was revealed." Shuto replied.

"How Banba-san could have predicted the exact moment when Sagae-san went to the storage room?!" Hanabusa tried to refute on a desperate tone.

"Well, Sagae and Banba seemed on good terms. Banba could have asked Sagae to join her at a specific time in the storage room." Shiena replied

Sumireko suddenly became quiet. The one that acted so prideful and arrogant was now looking so pitiful and hopeless. Haru felt bad for her, but it was inevitable. Mahiru also remained silent, she even seemed to be disconnected from reality.

"So, can we vote now?" Isuke asked.

"Wait, should we try to explain how the murder occurred exactly before voting?" Haru replied.

"It would be a waste of time, we already know that Banba-san is the culprit. Let's finished this class trial now." the pink haired girl said.

"Ichinose-san's right. It's not in our best interests to skip steps. We need to be entirely sure that we aren't doing a mistake…" Suzu added.

"We don't! Dammit, stop making this stupid class trial longer than it should be and let's vote already!" Isuke shouted frustrated.

Haru didn't insist. Isuke was probably really affected by Haruki's murder, she probably couldn't stand to participate into this class trial. It was pretty obvious that Mahiru was the culprit, but still, Haru would have wanted to continue a little bit longer the debate. But, who else it could be other than Banba? Maybe it was true, maybe it was a waste of time to continue this class trial.

"So everyone agree? Are you ready to vote? Very well, let's begin the vote…" Monokuma began to say.

Suddenly, a strange flash occurred in Haru's mind. A sudden certitude had appeared in her thoughts. This certitude was so strong that Haru couldn't deny it, not even with the facts they established during the class trial.

Mahiru couldn't have killed someone. It was a certitude for Haru, something that couldn't even being questionable. It was on the same level as common sense. There was no way that Mahiru could be the culprit. Haru wasn't sure why she thought about that now, but she couldn't question it. It was the truth for her and she strongly believed in Mahiru's innocence.

So who was the culprit? Haru tried to remember all the clues. There must have someone else who could have murdered Haruki other than Banba. She thought about all the alibis again. She tried to think about someone else who could have been in the storage room at the time of the murder. She then figured out another possible culprit.

"Wait! We are not ready to vote! The debate isn't over!" Haru suddenly said.

"What are you talking about, you brat!? Of course the debate is over, Banba-san is the…" Isuke began to say.

"No, Mahiru-san isn't the culprit. There is someone else who could have committed the murder, and Haru believes that this person is the true culprit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, SIKE!
> 
> MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION (again)!
> 
> Sumireko's prickness came back to bite her.
> 
> Haru just can't make up her mind huh.


	24. Chapter 3: Bitter conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I've an announcement to make. English isn't my first language, so I do make mistakes sometimes. I'm really sorry about that, I try to avoid it, but sometimes I just don't notice them.
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter, it's one of the longest that I've wrote for this story!

"What do you mean she isn't the culprit!? Of course she is! What are you proofs that she isn't?!" Isuke replied on an irritated tone.

The pink haired girl seemed to be about to jump above her desk to go kick Haru. Tokaku seemed to have notice, since she was now in a defensive posture. Sumireko looked at Haru with shock, while Suzu seemed honestly surprised.

"Ichinose-san, if you have a proof that could prove Banba-san's innocence, please say it!" Hanabusa asked.

"I'm curious to hear about it too." Shuto said.

"I…I'm sorry. I don't have anything to back up what I've said. But I'm convinced that Mahiru-san isn't the culprit. I believe in her innocence, I've faith in her." Haru replied.

"So you don't have evidence, you're just listening to you feelings, how disappointing…" the gamester said.

"You really begin to piss Isuke off!"

Haru felt her muscles get tense. She was afraid that she couldn't convince everyone of Banba's innocence. She had nothing to prove this claim. In a debate where only logic was accepted, her feelings weren't enough. Despite that, Haru decided to speak with her heart and tried to change their minds.

"Yes, I don't have proofs, yes I'm relying on my feelings, but that doesn't mean that I'm not right!" Haru argued back. "All I want is for us to continue this class trial. I may not have evidence now, but maybe we'll find new proofs if we continue the debate. I also want to continue for everyone's sake, because I care about all of you! If we vote for the wrong person, we'll be executed. I don't want that to happen. So I'm begging you, let's continue the debate a little longer, just to be sure that we aren't doing a mistake!"

Haru's heart began to beat faster due to stress. She was nervous and scared, she didn't know if her words succeeded to convince them. Almost everyone looked uncertain, which wasn't reassuring for her.

"So, are you ready to vote yes or no? You bastards are quite indecisive kids…Raise your hand if you don't want to vote now." Monokuma said.

It was the moment of truth. Haru was about to discover if her words convinced them to continue the debate.

Haru was the first one to raise her hand, quickly followed by Sumireko and Tokaku, which infuriated Isuke. Surprisingly, Banba didn't raise her hand. She was probably too disturbed to understand what was happening.

"You're not thinking with your brain! It's obvious why you support her ridiculous claim Azuma-san, it's for the same reason why Hanabusa-san is defending Banba-san. You just want to get into their pants!" Isuke said.

"How dare you say something so… inappropriate." Sumireko replied offended, but with a slight blush.

"That's absurd, why would I want to wear Ichinose's pants? And they both wear skirts…" Tokaku replied seriously, with a clueless expression.

"…You're really a virgin…" the pink haired girl said. "Anyway, you're just three, the majority want to vote…"

Suddenly, a fourth hand rose, to Isuke's consternation.

"Seriously, Hashiri-san!? You really think that Banba-san isn't the culprit?" the pink haired girl said.

"Well, it could be her, but…Haru-chan really made me doubt. I want to be sure that we vote for the true culprit. Our lives depend on this vote, and I don't want to be executed…" Nio replied nervously.

"Then it's a tie! You bastards, why are you always made things so complicated…alright, I let you one minutes to solve this, or else I'll choose myself." Monokuma said.

For few seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, someone's hand began to move, and it…rose. Suzu had raised her hand.

"You must be kidding me... You just want this class trial to continue for you own satisfaction, you fucking midget!" Isuke shouted angrily.

"No need to be so aggressive. I do think that Banba-san is the culprit, but I must admit that Ichinose-san's claim caught my curiosity. I want to let her the opportunity to maybe change my mind." Suzu replied.

"So it's five people who don't want to vote. The majority has spoken, the class trial will continue." Monokuma declared.

Haru sighed with relief. She had still a chance to prove Mahiru's innocence.

"So tell us Ichinose-san, who's this other person who could have done the murder other than Banba-san? You said that this person must be the true culprit." Suzu asked.

Haru remembered that she did say that. But she had hesitated to reveal this person's identity, because she was sure that no one could possibly believe her. Even she found it hard to believe. But she knew that if Banba wasn't the culprit, this person surely was. Haru needed to at least try to prove this possibility.

"Mahiru-san isn't the only one who could have been in the storage room at the time of the murder. Someone else could have been there to drop the bucket on Haruki-san's head…and it's none other than Haruki-san herself!" Haru declared.

Like she expected, everybody seemed incredulous about her statement, they looked even shock and confused. Isuke in her case seemed furious, but before she could say anything, someone suddenly began to laugh madly.

"Haha, it's a good one! I would never have expected you to suspect the victim herself. Please Ichinose-san, tell us how Sagae-san could have possibly killed herself in such a way. I'm dying to know your reasoning." Suzu replied after she stopped laughing.

"You…you're nuts! You game maniac, don't you care about your own life?! You're enjoying this too much, you freak!" Isuke said.

"Shuto-san, are you al…" Haru tried to ask.

"No need to worry about me, just tell us your theory so I can destroy it!" Suzu replied.

Haru blenched. The expression on the gamester's face was worrisome. Her eyes expressed a deadly competitive vibe and her gaze looked so dangerously excited. Suzu wasn't just a gamester anymore. She was an ambitious player who was ready to win by all means possible. But Haru won't give up. She also wanted to prove that she was right. She was determined to make Suzu, and everyone else, acknowledged what she believe was the truth.

"The ladder, it could be Haruki-san who leaned it against the wall. Considering her strength, she could easily lift a bucket full of dumbbells and bring it on one of the girder. She then went back on the floor under the girder and with some kind of device, she made the bucket fall on her head to kill herself." Haru declared.

"You're not familiar with the Knox's Decalogue, aren't you? Rule #4: It is forbidden for unknown drugs or hard to understand scientific devices to be used." Suzu replied. "I doubt that Sagae-san could have used any kind of device to make the bucket fall, and we didn't find any kind of device during the investigation."

"It's not a mystery novel you know…" Nio replied.

Haru wondered if it was true. Did they really not find anything in the storage room that could be used as a device to make the bucket fall on a precise spot? Haru tried to remember all the objects scattered on the floor. One of them was odd. She then understood what could have been the device.

"The rope! There was a normal rope near Haruki-san's corpse. It makes sense for a skipping rope to be in the storage room of a gymnasium, but why would a regular rope be there? Unless it had been brought by someone for the sake of the murder!" Haru declared. "Haruki-san could have used the rope to hang the bucket on the girder and released the rope to make the bucket fall on her head."

"If it was the case, the rope would still be tied to the bucket's handles." Shuto replied.

"Not necessarily! The rope was pretty long, Haruki-san could have fold the rope. She could have passed one of the rope's tips under the bucket's handles and hold both the tips. Like that, she could have lift the bucket with the rope and made it fall on her head without tied it to the handles!" Haru said.

"Interesting. I admit that it's an interesting theory, but pretty unlikely. The rope fold in half is definitely not enough long to allow Sagae-san to do this device. How could she have made the bucket stay in place? Like I said the rope fold in half isn't enough long to allow her to jump from the girder without risking to spilled the dumbbells on the floor." Suzu argued.

Haru was forced to recognize that it was true. Judging by the rope's length, Haruki was probably holding the two tips at arm's length. It was unlikely that she could have jump from the girder without making the bucket overturned and spilled the dumbbells or just made the bucket fall too soon. Haru remembered the other objects on the floor and found another way to make the device work.

"It's possible if Haruki-san used another object to temporarily make the rope longer! She could have used the skipping rope. If she tied the two ropes together, it should be enough long to allow her to jump without risking that the bucket overturned. Then she could have untied the skipping rope and drop it on the floor, before releasing the normal rope to make the bucket fell on her head." Haru concluded.

"That's bullshit!" Isuke shouted.

The pink haired girl was gazing at Haru with what seemed to be murderous intents. It scared Haru a little bit, but she knew that Tokaku would protect her if Isuke tried to attack her.

"If Haruki really committed suicide, how do you explain the mess in the storage room?!" Isuke argued. "A fight clearly happened."

"Haruki-san went inside the gymnasium at 7h25, which means she had almost 15 minutes to prepare her plan. She could have trashed the room herself to make it looked like a fight happened." Haru replied. "It could also be to dissimulate the rope, bucket and dumbbells with all the other objects scattered on the floor."

"No, it's must be Banba-san who trashed the room to make it look like there had a fight! After all, we already established that she couldn't have fight Haruki." Isuke insisted.

"Then what about the baseball bat? We forgot to explain why there has blood on it." Suzu suddenly intervened.

It was true, that was an important clue and they never explained it. Haru was sure that the bucket was the murder weapon, so what about the baseball bat? Why there had blood on it? Haru suddenly remembered a fact about Haruki's corpse.

"Haruki-san has two wounds! One on her forehead and the other on her head. Maybe those two injuries weren't cause by the same object." Haru replied. "Haruki-san could have hit herself on the forehead with the baseball bat to put blood on it and make it looks like it was the murder weapon."

"That's the dumbest thing that Isuke had ever heard! Banba-san must have hit Haruki's corpse with the baseball bat to trick us!"

"Wait! I checked the injury on her forehead, the blood had roll to her lips. She must have been standing up when she received the hit. If the hit was made when she was lying on the floor, the blood would have rolled on the floor, not along her face." Tokaku said.

"Then Banba-san used the damn rope to make Haruki's corpse stand up and hit her!" Isuke argued.

"Banba-san would certainly not be enough strong to lift Sagae-san's body." Sumireko replied.

A sudden clap interrupted the debate. Suzu was slowly clapping with her hands while showing a condescending expression.

"Congratulation Ichinose-san, you provided an interesting and even plausible theory. But I won't admit defeat, I didn't say my last word on the matter. There is another possibility, so hear my truth!" the gamester declared. "Sagae-san asked Banba-san to join her in the storage room with the intent of killing her. She planned to strangle her with the rope, but Banba-san noticed. Her survival instinct could have triggered her Shinya's persona. The two fought and Banba-san won and killed Sagae-san with the baseball bat. She then left the crime scene and regained her Mahiru's persona, and forgot about this incident."

"That can't be true! Shinya-san can't be there at daytime! And that doesn't explain why there had a regular rope. Sagae-san could have used the skipping rope instead." Sumireko protested.

"Shinya only existing at night is not a certitude. We don't know enough about her split personality to consider this as a fact. Other things could trigger her split personality, and I believe that survival instinct would be a logical trigger. About the rope, maybe Sagae-san planned to hang Banba-san's corpse to make it look like it was a suicide. A skipping rope wouldn't be enough long. Sagae-san probably considered that Banba-san was an easy target since it was daytime." Suzu replied. "So, what do you think about that, Ichinose-san? This is the truth that I've reached and in which I believe! I left you a chance, but you didn't succeed to change my mind."

Haru couldn't deny that Suzu's theory seemed as plausible as hers. But something with this bothered her. It was the fact that she claimed that Haruki wanted to commit murder. Haru couldn't believe that the redhead would have tried to kill Mahiru. She suddenly remembered something that Haruki had said which convinced her even more that it couldn't be true.

"You're wrong! Haruki-san wouldn't have tried to commit murder. Haruki-san had once told me that she would never kill someone if it could possibly be in vain. This is why she never intended to kill someone, because if she was discovered, the person she killed would have died in vain. Haruki-san wouldn't sacrifice someone's life unless she was sure that it would worth it." Haru replied.

"…Is this really your rebuttal? It's disappointing, I was expecting better from you. You're really just a child after all." Suzu retort. "You fell for Sagae-san's lie…"

"It wasn't a lie! Haru know deep down that Haruki-san was telling the truth! Whatever wish she had, it wasn't for her, but for the people she cared about. She must have read something on her letter that convinced her to become the blackened. But she didn't want to murder someone, so she chose to end her own life! Haru is convinced that Haruki-san committed suicide, because I believe that neither she nor Mahiru-san would have committed murder. Haru has faith in both of them!"

Haru had to catch her breath. She was so passionate while telling her argument that she had neglected to breathe between her sentences. Suzu gazed at her with a cold expression, before sighing

"You really believe in what you consider to be the truth. What an incredible bling faith you have…I don't know if I should be impressed or worried." Shuto replied. "Monokuma, there is something I want to confirm. If the blackened is both the culprit and the victim and they are not discovered, what would happen about their wish?"

"If their wish concerned other people who are outside this school, I would grant it, and everyone here would be executed." Monokuma replied.

"I see. So someone could really commit suicide and hoping that their wish is granted. But regardless of this fact, I still believe that my truth is the most plausible one. I won't let some undefined feelings get in the way of my reasoning." the gamester declared.

Haru knew that she couldn't change Suzu's mind. They both believed too much in their own truth to deny it.

"Ichinose-san, I believe in your truth. I'm also convinced that Banba-san isn't the culprit. So please, expose clearly your truth to everyone." Sumireko asked.

Haru felt that it was a humble request from the lady, who was usually acting so prideful. Even if she knew that she won't made Suzu changed her mind, at least she could maybe convince the others.

"When Monokuma gave us the third motive, it convinced the culprit to become the blackened. Something in her letter must have convinced the culprit to try having her wish granted. But the culprit didn't want to kill someone in vain, so she decided to become the blackened in another way than committing a murder.

The morning after, the culprit went to the gymnasium's storage room around 7h25. She brought with her a long rope. The culprit then proceeded to trash the room to make it looked like a fight had occurred there and to hide some of the clues. She then used a baseball bat and hit her forehead with it, to make it looked like she was beaten to death with a baseball bat. The culprit dropped the bloody bat with the other objects on the floor.

The culprit took a bucket and filled it with several dumbbells. The culprit also folded in half the rope and tied it to the skipping rope. She then leaned a ladder on the wall and climbed on the girders. The culprit passed one of the regular rope's tips under the bucket's handles and proceeded to hang the bucket on a girder.

The culprit jumped from there and landed on the floor safely. She then untied the skipping rope and dropped it, while still holding the two regular rope's tips. The culprit made sure that her head was under the bucket's trajectory, before releasing the rope. The heavy bucket fell quickly from several meters high on the culprit's head. The collision was enough brutal to cause a blunt head trauma and cracked her skull open. The culprit fell on the floor and died from a head trauma and a major blood loss, while the bucket, dumbbells and rope ended up mixed with the many objects scattered on the floor.

And the culprit who orchestrated this elaborate suicide is none other than the victim herself, Sagae Haruki-san, the Super Middle School Level Street Fighter!" Haru declared.

After that Haru explained her truth, nobody talked. Even Suzu seemed uncertain.

"Everybody is so quiet, does that mean that you're ready to vote?" Monokuma asked.

"I don't think that everyone believes in the same truth, but I do believe that the majority is ready to vote. " Shuto replied. "Ichinose-san, since we didn't come to an agreement, it seems that the vote will be a gamble. I'm not really a gambler myself, but sometime gambling can spice up a game. But, gambling with our own life, I'm sure that Kouko-chan wouldn't have wanted this…"

"No objection? Good. Let's begin the vote…" Monokuma interrupted.

"Wait! What would happen if two people received the same number of vote?" Shiena suddenly asked.

"Huh? What a complicate question! You bastards really like to make everything so complicating…Let's say that if two people receive four votes and that one of the two is the blackened, the real culprit will be executed along with the person wrongly accused. Usually I would have executed all those who voted for the wrong person along with the blackened, but it could cause the game to end too soon for my taste. Anyway, let's not loose anymore time and vote!" Monokuma said.

Haru didn't like this. If Mahiru received at least four votes, she would be executed, even if she isn't the culprit. It was unfair, but nothing in their situation was fair to begin with. Haru regretted to not have succeeded in making everyone believed in the same truth.

Unwillingly, Haru lift her desk's top and spotted the button where it was written #6, Haruki's number. Haru hesitated for a moment. Was she really right? Or Suzu was the one who was right? Haru couldn't be sure entirely, so she decided to trust her feelings and her faith in both Haruki and Mahiru and pressed the button #6. She then closed her desk and looked at the screen. A graphic showed that two people voted for Banba as the culprit and six people voted for Haruki instead.

Monokuma's figured reappeared on the screen. Haru felt extremely nervous. She was relieved that the majority didn't vote for Mahiru, but at the same time, she was afraid that she might have been wrong about the redhead being the culprit.

"You bastards…congratulation! You guessed right, the culprit who killed Sagae Haruki was none other than Sagae-san herself!" Monokuma declared cheerfully. "That was a rough one…"

One of the desks brusquely fell on the ground. It was Isuke who kicked her own desk out of rage.

"Screw this! When Haruki came to see me this morning, I thought that she was about to commit murder, not fucking kill herself like a coward!" Isuke shouted. "Stupid Haruki, you died for nothing, you abandoned your family…"

"No, that's wrong!" Haru replied. "I understand that you're sad, but it's not a reason to insult Haruki-san. She wasn't a coward and she did care for her family. She was probably really desperate when she read her letter…"

"Shut up! I don't care about Haruki, she's just an idiot! So don't you dare…ah fuck off! I'm out of here!"

Isuke walked away and head to the elevator, before kicking the doors furiously.

"Oy, calm down! Ok, I get it, the class trial is over. Since there won't be an execution because, well, the culprit is already dead, you're free to go back to what you were doing before." Monokuma said. "Geez, what a party pooper this Sagae-san, she deprived us from an execution, it's not funny…"

Monokuma's figure disappeared from the screen and the elevator's doors opened. Everyone began to head toward the elevator. Suzu walked near Haru, just right behind her.

"I admit my defeat this time, but don't think that just because you win with mere luck this time, it will happen again." the gamester whispered in one of Haru's ears.

Suzu walked away and Haru wondered if she was somehow mad against. Haru went inside the elevator and the door closed. It was the first time that after a class trial, everybody was able to go back in it. But despite that, it didn't make Haru happy. This class trial's conclusion felt like a bitter victory.

 

_Survivors remaining: 8_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ships remaining: 2 (Unless you ships crack pairings like IsukeXNio or SuzuXShiena, I'm not judgin') *silently judging you*
> 
> Suzu probably had played Umineko No Naku Kori Ni, she knows how to use the Knox's Decagogues and the blue truth. She would probably like to be in a witch game.
> 
> No execution this time! I'm disappointed. I like to execute people...
> 
> Trivia: This was supposed to be chapter 2. I switched chapters 2 and 3. I didn't want the order of death to be too similar to the order of expulsion in AnR. But I always had planned for Haruki to commit suicide, but it took me some time to think about a way that she could kill herself and not be too obvious (my first idea was for her to do the same thing that she did during her assassination attempt when she tried to kill herself along with Haru, but once again, I didn't want to be to close of what happened in AnR and make it too obvious that it was a suicide).
> 
> (Outtake)
> 
> Sumireko: I've reclaimed my Togami's role!
> 
> Suzu: Meh, the Nagito's role doesn't seem that bad...
> 
> Nio: You can't, I'm suppose to be the trash!
> 
> It's the end of chapter 3, I hope that you liked it, and see you next time for chapter 4!


	25. Chapter 4: Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First part of Chapter 4, enjoy!

Haru and Tokaku were seated at each extremity on the couch in their room, both avoiding the other's gaze. It's been couple of hours since the third class trial had ended. Something important had been revealed during this trial, but Haru still didn't have the courage to ask her questions, and Tokaku didn't seems to be prone to talk from her own will. Haru took a slow deep breath and turned back to see her roommate, ready to ask for answers.

"Tokaku-san, the book that Isuke-san showed us…it was really the truth? Is that really your…talent?"

The blue haired girl sighed, before turning back to face Haru. Her expression looked emotionless, but Haru could see that her eyes seemed to express worry.

"If you still don't believe it, you can see the book yourself. I think that it's Kenmochi who has it now…"

"It's not what Haru wants! It's not from this book that I want to know the truth, but by you!"

Tokaku seemed to hesitate for a moment, before looking away.

"It's the truth. I'm the SMSL Assassin. I already told everyone during the class trial, remember?"

"Haru…wanted to be sure that it wasn't a lie. And I also wanted that Tokaku-san…tells me personally the truth."

An awkward silent took place. Haru turned back, not knowing what to say anymore.

"You hate assassins, so you must despise me now…" Tokaku mumbled.

Haru suddenly turned back and grabbed the blue haired girl's shoulder, forcing her to face her.

"That's not true! Haru would never despise Tokaku-san! And I don't hate assassins…I dislike the act of killing."

Haru released Tokaku's shoulder and lowered her head to look at the floor.

"Why…are you an assassin? Why did you choose that?"

"It wasn't a choice. I'm born to be an assassin. The Azumas are…a clan of assassins. And I'm their heiress."

Haru could relate to this. She knew what it was to be born in a clan that impose you a role since the moment you are born. It was the reason why she accepted to attend Class Black, to be freed from this fate.

"And how…how many people have you killed?" Haru asked.

"Would it really change something if I tell you?"

"Probably not…maybe it's better if Haru doesn't know. It's not because I learned your talent that the situation changed. Tokaku-san is still the same person as before, the only thing that can really change is my perception of you, and…Haru doesn't want to perceive Tokaku-san differently, I still want to view you as my classmate and my important friend…"

Haru suddenly felt something pressing her hand. She raised her head and her gaze met Tokaku's icy blue eyes. The blue haired girl seemed stoic, but Haru could felt softness in the way she was looking at her. She then realised that Tokaku had grabbed her hand.

"Ichinose…it's true that I hid my talent, but it was only because I didn't want you to be afraid of me. I wanted you to view me as a protector on who you could rely, and thought that you wouldn't trust me if you knew who I really am. All I want is to protect you, I want you to survive, I want to escape from here with you."

Haru felt her cheeks becoming warmer, while her heart was racing. Did the thought of being with Tokaku even outside this school make her blush? Haru began to wonder what she truly felt for her roommate.

"Tokaku-san…Haru also want to survive and escape with you, but…what I you planning to do if you go out from here? Are you going to go back to your…assassin life?"

"I…don't know. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. But, it's not important for now, I'll think about it in due course. Let's just not think about the past or the future and just focus on the present."

The blue haired girl released Haru's hand and rose up.

"I'm going to take a shower." Tokaku said before heading to the bathroom.

Haru stayed on the couch and let herself fell, ending up in a lying position. Her heart didn't stop beating fast. She really wanted to escape with Tokaku, and stayed by her side. She didn't want her to go back to her assassin life.

Haru realised that she still had time to convince Tokaku. If they both survive, she'll have a chance to convince the blue haired girl to stay with her and quit being an assassin. But for now, the priority was to survive, along with all her remaining classmates.

* * *

"Ichinose…what is _she_ doing here?" Tokaku asked.

Haru turned back when she heard her roommate. She was currently sitting on her couch, in the company of Sumireko. Tokaku was glaring at Hanabusa with hostility, while the lady was acting serene.

It's been three days since the third class trial had taken place. The atmosphere became gloomier and the remaining Class Black's student seemed to have their morale at their lowest. The day Banba never left her room, Shiena shut herself in the sitting room, Suzu was distant with everyone and Isuke looked like she's about to kill every time that someone tried to talk to her.

"Ah, Tokaku-san…Hanabusa-san came here because she has something to say to Haru."

"I don't care. I don't want her here." Tokaku replied.

"Oh my, Azuma-san, no needs to be so defensive. I don't have bad intentions. I came here as a friend."

"You're probably one of the people the less friendly that I've never encounter." the blue haired girl said.

"I don't want to be rude, but I don't think that you know a lot of people. And you aren't friendly either." Sumireko replied.

"At least I'm not acting like a prick. Ichinose, you can't trust her. You saw how she acted during the class trials."

"I won't deny that my behaviour during the class trials may be perceived as mean and insensitive, but I'm only acting this way because my life is at stake. No need to take it personal. You're so susceptive, Azuma-san."

Tokaku looked so pissed, which made Haru worried that the situation might worsen. It was true that she didn't approve Sumireko's behaviours during the class trials, but she didn't hold it against her. Haru knew that when someone's life was in danger, this person could act differently by fear. She considered that Monokuma was the only one to blame when someone acted badly, because he was the one who forced them into this despairful situation in the first place.

"Tokaku-san, Hanabusa-san is our classmate. The least we can do is to listen to what she has to say. Haru doesn't view her as a threat, so I've no reason to refuse."

"…Do as you like. But I'm staying here, so you better not try something stupid, Hanabusa."

"Oh my, doing something stupid? Me? I'm not like the likes of you." Sumireko replied with a smirk.

"Just say what you have to say already!" Tokaku shouted.

"So impatient. Ichinose-san, there is something I need to tell you. I…want to thank you."

"Thank…me? Why?" Haru asked, confused.

"Well, you know, for what you did during the class trial. You…defended Banba-san. So I want to thank you for believing in her innocence. And also because thanks to you, we found the real culprit. Without you, the majority would have vote for Banba-san, and everyone would have been executed. So thanks for having saving our lives, Ichinose-san."

Haru was quite surprised. She didn't expect that Sumireko would ever thank her. But, since the thanking came from someone as prideful as Hanabusa, Haru felt that it must be sincere.

"N-No needs to thanks me, Haru just did the right thing. I was just…convinced of Mahiru-san's innocence, even without facts. No, in fact, her innocence felt like a fact for me. I don't know how to explain it…"

"No needs to justify yourself. You believed in her and you found the culprit, that's all that matter. You have good instincts, I know that I can rely on you now. I shouldn't have underestimated you…"

"It's ok, no hard feelings, it's…"

"Now that you have said what you wanted to say, you can leave." Tokaku interrupted.

"Tokaku-san!" Haru reprimanded.

"There's something else that I've to say. Or rather, ask." Sumireko began to say. "Ichinose-san, would you join me for a tea party?"

"Huh? Well, I…"

"No." the blue haired girl replied.

"Azuma-san, would you mind your own business please? I was asking Ichinose-san."

"Hanabusa-san, Haru won't go anywhere without Tokaku-san."

"Eh, fine. Azuma-san, you're also invited.

"That's not the point! Why do you want Ichinose to take tea with you? You're up for something bad, I'm sure!"

Sumireko suddenly rose up and faced the blue haired girl. She glared at Tokaku with a cold stare.

"Azuma-san, are you taking me for a fool? You seriously think that I would try to kill Ichinose-san? Really? I would be the first one suspected!"

"Then why do you want to take tea with her?" Tokaku insisted.

"Is it really that hard to believe that I just want to be friend with her? All I want is to have a friendly tea party with Ichinose-san, and concluded an alliance with her."

"Huh, an alliance? With Haru?"

Hanabusa sat down again and turned back to face Haru.

"Yes, I want to make an alliance with you. I feel like you're a trustworthy person. If we are allies, I'm sure we'll be able to survive and escape together…"

"No. If you aim to be one of the two survivors with her, give up. Ichinose will survive with me." Tokaku interrupted.

" _No_ , is that your favorite word? How childish of you. Do you really intend to survive alone with Ichinose-san? You expect everyone to die? Hum, what I should expect from an assassin. All I want is to be Ichinose-san's ally, so if another murder occurs we could trust and help each other."

"It's a nice offer, but Haru is already your ally. Haru is everyone's ally, because we are all classmates."

"You…really are a softy. Which is not totally a bad thing. But you need to know that not everyone here is worthy of your trust. The proof is, murders had occurred. Takechi-san and Kirigaya-san were people who looked forward to kill. And who knows what our remaining classmates' intentions are. But, if we conclude an alliance, at least we could trust each other." Sumireko replied.

"You lose your time, Hanabusa. Ichinose isn't interested. Why don't you do try an alliance with Shuto instead? You two are the same kind of person."

"Please, don't insult me. I've nothing to do with Shuto-san. Well, I admit that she's quite smart, but she's also cunning. I thought that we could be allies, but with what happened during the last class trial, I'm convinced that she isn't trustworthy."

"What do you mean?" Haru asked.

"Don't you have notice yourself? Shuto-san doesn't care about her own life. She was really to gamble her life, and all ours, to prove that she was right, like it was just a petty bet. She considers all of this as a mere game. All she wants is to have fun. She finds this situation enjoyable. I don't know if it's Kaminaga-san death that makes her act like this, but whatever the reason, Shuto-san is dangerous. Who knows what she's capable of if she suddenly decided that this 'game' became too boring for her liking." Sumireko replied. "But you, you're different from everyone else, in a good way. You're quite deductive, you're kind-hearted, and the most important, you have the spirit of a survivor. You want to survive with as many people as possible, which make me believe that you'll always look forward the truth and never fall for Monokuma's motives to kill."

Haru did find Suzu's recent behaviour odd, but she didn't think that Sumireko was right. Haru wanted to believe that the gamester wasn't lying when she said that she wanted to allow as many people possible to survive.

"I'm sorry, Hanabusa-san, but I trust Shuto-san. And I trust everyone else. I trust you, and you can trust Haru. Isn't it enough?"

Sumireko sighed, before she rose up.

"Well, it had worth the shot. What a shame, I would have liked to share tea with you."

The lady began to head to the door.

"Wait! How…Mahiru-san is going?"

Hanabusa stopped and turned back.

"Banba-san? Not really well. She refuses to leave her room. The last class trial really affected her. She was so afraid that Shinya-san might have betrayed her. I would want to help her, but I don't know what I can do…"

"Hum, maybe you could give her something. A gift maybe?" Haru proposed.

"A gift? But I can't buy things here, and I don't have access to my money…"

"You don't have to buy or have money to give a gift, you can make one. A gift makes with your hands is more precious than any luxurious gift."

"A gift with my hands? Uh, I do appreciate Banba-san, but…we aren't _that_ close…not yet."

"Huh? Haru was talking about fabricating her a gift. You know, like a strap."

"Oh! Huh, I see. This is how commoners show their affection. I remember that Shinya-san once told me that Banba-san likes to collect objects she received from people. She calls them 'relic' I think."

"Then it's perfect! Haru likes crafting. Straps are my favorite things to do. You should be able to make one. I believe that you have all the material you need in the art club."

"Well, thanks for the advice. Now I need to go see Banba-san and make sure that she ate something today."

Sumireko finally left the room, which seemed to please Tokaku. Haru really hoped that Hanabusa will be able to comfort Mahiru. But she was also kind of worried about her alliance offer and what she claimed about Suzu.

* * *

Haru suddenly woke up. It was still the middle of the night. She had a dream about Haruki. She and the redhead were spending time together. In the dream, they were working together on what seemed to be a background, for a play. They took a break together, ate some pocky, and had a friendly chat. It was a normal and nostalgic dream.

But something felt odd in her dream. Haruki's uniform was…different. She still had her bow and her white shirt, and her skirt seemed red, but her jacket…wasn't the same. It wasn't beige, it seemed to be black. Her vision was blurry in the dream, so she couldn't see well. But since it was just a dream, Haru didn't really worry about this small detail.

Haru looked at Tokaku. The blue haired girl was still asleep. She smiled at the sight of her roommate's sleeping face. She couldn't help herself from finding her cute. Haru closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sumireko making a relic to Banba. Yes, it will totally went well.
> 
> Who Haru should trust the more? Suzu or Sumireko?
> 
> While writing this chapter I realised that I kind of like Hanabusa. In fact, there isn't any character in AnR that I dislike. My least favorite is probably Kouko. I do like her, but she's the one I find the least interesting. But I like her quote "I'm the leader of everything".


	26. Chapter 4: Friendship

Hesitatingly, Haru knocked at the door. Since the room was locked, she couldn't do otherwise if she wanted to enter. Like usual, Tokaku was by her side. Haru received no answer from the person who shut herself in this room, so she knocked again but this time she called her name too.

"Shiena-chan, open please. It's Haru. I just want to talk with you."

After few seconds, the door finally opened. The hacker appeared in the doorframe and gazed at Haru with an uncertain look. She then glanced at Tokaku with a worried expression. Shiena wasn't wearing her blazer and her tie was loose. She looked like someone who barely slept.

"I'm fine with you Ichinose, but Azuma…"

"You can trust Tokaku-san too."

With some hesitation, Shiena allowed both of them to come inside of the sitting room. The brunette then closed the door and locked it again.

Haru noticed the state of the room. A lot of empty potato chip bags were scattered on the floor, soft drink's cans were all over the coffee table, and Shiena's blazer was tossed on the couch.

"Huh, Shiena-chan…do you leave this room to go back to your dorm room sometimes?"

"Why would I? I've everything I need here." the hacker replied. "Foods, drinks, a place to sleep…"

"Wait. I thought that we aren't allowed to sleep anywhere else than in the dormitory. It's one of the rules." Tokaku interrupted.

"I believe that this rule only apply either for nighttime. Well, in my case, I did naps here during the day and I don't sleep the night, and I don't have any problems with Monokuma."

"And you only eat potato chips?" Haru asked.

"Well, there are also instant noodles and soups in the vending machines. And you know, the variety of potato chips is well enough to fulfill by needs. There have cream sour and onion potato chips, bacon savored potato chip, Doritos with nacho cheese flavor, and with the instant noodles, I've all the group foods."

"I…don't think nutrition work that way. Haru also thinks that you should sleep more."

Shiena readjusted her glasses and gazed at Haru with a serious expression.

"Ichinose, a murder could occur at any moment. I don't have time to lose sleeping. I need to maximize my time to decrypt the USB keys." the hacker replied.

"You need to think about your health." Haru insisted.

"Ugh, you sound like Shuto. My health can wait, people's life are at stakes. I need to find the traitor to save everyone."

"Shuto-san? Did you speak with her recently?"

"No, since the third class trial she's quite distant. But I'm sure she's planning something great for our sake."

"So you trust Shuto?" Tokaku asked.

"Well, of course. She's probably one of the, if it's not the, smartest person here. And she shares my determination to save everyone." Shiena replied.

"But, don't you think that she…doesn't take the situation seriously? She considers this like it's a game…" Haru said.

"She's a gamester, what did you expect? Her talent is to solve and win games, of course she's going to consider all of this as if it's a game! She's not doing this by enjoyment, but by necessity."

Haru wanted to believe in Shiena's words. She wanted to trust Suzu. Sumireko made her doubt about the gamester, but what the brunette said made her thought that maybe the lady was wrong.

"But still, you need to go out to go to the bathroom, right? Unless you're doing it in a bucket…" Tokaku said.

"How rude! I'm not! You see the door over there? I thought it was a closet, but it's in fact a small bathroom." the hacker replied.

"Why you don't want to get out sometimes?" Haru asked.

"Because I could get killed! I can't die now, not until I find the traitor…"

"What if there isn't a traitor?" the blue haired girl replied.

Shiena became quiet for few seconds. She approached from Tokaku and stared at her.

"Are you really questioning the existence of the traitor?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"Then who put those envelopes in our room? And the flowers? And the picture of those who died? Who carried the corpses in the coffin?" Shiena asked.

"Monokuma." Tokaku replied.

"Monokuma isn't here. And he's clearly not one of us. It would be risky for him to walk in the school without being seen. He needs someone on the spot to do the dirty work for him. This person is the traitor. Monokuma has no actual power over us, the real threat is the traitor. She's the one who pulls the strings. If we find the traitor, the game should be over. "

Tokaku didn't reply. Even if what Shiena said made sense, Haru didn't want to believe her. She didn't want to believe that one of her classmates betrayed them. She wanted to trust and have faith in everyone.

"Then, who do you think the traitor is?" the blue haired girl asked.

"I've no certitude, but I've suspicions. Hashiri is probably the most suspicious one, because she's affiliated with Myojo Academy. But she's not the only one that I'm suspecting…"

Shiena went to sit on the couch, near the coffee table. Haru noticed that buried under the cans, there had a laptop and a thin book. She recognized the book that Isuke found during the last investigation.

"I reread the book, and I find it strange that the last pages are missing. Someone ripped them, probably the traitor. But why? To hide her identity maybe. Those pages are Hashiri, Hanabusa, Banba and Ichinose's student profile." Shiena explained.

"So you think that the traitor is one of those four?" Tokaku asked.

"It's a possibility. But something is off with this book. This is clearly the profiles of the Class Black's students. I decrypted a message in the second USB key. The message is: There are thirteen SMSL students in Class Black."

"…and?" the blue haired girl replied.

"Hashiri doesn't have a talent, she's just a normal student. Well, that's what she claims. But if it's really the truth, then it means that there is another student, the real student #10. Monokuma chose Hashiri among the regular Myojo's students to replace the missing Class Black's student. Then where is the real student #10? Who is she?"

"Maybe the missing student is Monokuma?" Haru proposed.

"This is one of the possibilities. I believe that we met someone who pretended to be someone she is not. Someone among us is impersonating the missing student. The only person who could perform this trick is…Banba."

"What? You think that Mahiru-san is the traitor?" Haru exclaimed.

"Or Shinya." Shiena added.

"Huh? They are the same person." Tokaku replied.

"Maybe it's what she wants to make us believe. Think about it. What if Mahiru and Shinya are two different people? They could be twins! One of the Banba twin is here as the traitor and pretend to be both Banbas, while the other twin is the mastermind? It would mean that the real student #10 is one of the Banba twins."

"So you think she faked her split personality? Haru can't believe that!"

"I also find it hard to suspect Banba, but it's a possibility. Or, both twins are here, and they exchange place between daytime and nighttime. So one of them could be the traitor while the other one is innocent, but the innocent one shouldn't know that her sister is the traitor. Or one of the twin kill the other and took her place and decided to act as both of them and pretended to have a split personality.

"But how do you explain her scar? It would be weird for both twins to have the exact same scar." Tokaku commented.

One of them could have a fake scar, or one of them is enough twisted to either caused her sister to have the same scar as her or injured herself to look like her sister. Anyway, if one of them is the traitor while de other is innocent, it means the mastermind is someone else. And I think that I know who it could be…"

Haru couldn't believe that it was the truth. But, it was true that both Banba's personalities were quite different, almost the total opposite. It was hard to see them as the same person. But that didn't mean that her spilt personality was fake.

"Whatever is the truth, I'm convinced that the student #10 is either the traitor or related to the traitor. It's suspicious that each page from her profile was ripped." Shiena added. "So, about the mastermind. Ichinose, would you check the book please? The first page."

Haru was worried. The first page was Tokaku's student profile, right? Why would Shiena want her to read it? Haru took the book and began to browse it. When she arrived at the second page, she was surprise to discover that it was Tokaku's profile. It also confirmed to her that she was indeed the SMSL Assassin. Then, what the first page was about?

On the first page, Haru discovered the profile of a man who seemed to be in is late twenties. He had short black hair, a kind expression, and he was wearing a shirt with a tie.

"It's not a student profile! This man, he's…Mizorogi Ataru? And according to his profile, he is…our teacher!?" Haru read.

"Yes, Mizorogi was supposed to be Class Black's teacher. I believe that he might be related to our situation. Maybe he's Monokuma. When I see his picture, I've a bad feeling. Yes, he must be the mastermind." Shiena replied.

If this man was really their teacher, then it was indeed a high possibility that he was the one responsible for their situation. But for a reason that she couldn't understand, Haru didn't have the impression that Mizorogi was a bad person.

"Anyway, I've work to do. Could you leave me alone please?" The brunette asked.

"Ah, ok…but please, take care of yourself. Haru doesn't want you to become sick."

"And go take a shower." Tokaku added.

"…I will when I'll have finished decrypting those USB keys." the hacker replied.

Haru and Tokaku left the sitting room, and Shiena locked the door behind them.

* * *

"So, how's your progress?" Haru asked.

After they have left the sitting room, Haru decided to go with Tokaku check on Sumireko in the art club room.

"Oh, hi, Ichinose-san. I'm currently still hesitating about which accessories I'll use for the strap." Hanabusa replied.

Haru noticed all the objects scattered on the table. The majority of them were fake jewels.

"Ah, if I was outside this place, I could buy her real jewelry. I'm sure that a necklace made with silver and amethysts would suit her perfectly." the lady added.

Sumireko took one of the fake gems. It looked like a purple diamond. A satisfied smile appeared on Hanabusa's lips.

"This one should do it. It would fit well with her eyes." Sumireko said.

"It's true, it's almost the same color. What else have you chose?" Haru asked.

"This little thing." Hanabusa replied while showing a really small plastic duck.

"Aw, that's so cute!"

"Banba-san, especially Shinya-san, seems quite fond of ducks. I've also chose some platinum colored beads. But I feel like another object should complete the strap."

Haru examined the objects on the table and found something that could fit well.

"What about this" Haru said while showing a metallic heart painted in a silver color.

"A heart? I don't know, maybe she'll interpret it wrongly…"

"Well, you do like her, right?" Haru asked.

"Uh, yes, but…Banba-san is quite timid, I don't want to scare her."

"Why would she be scared? Heart is a symbol of love. She'll see that you want to be her friend."

"Ah, yes, sure, the strap is for…strengthening our friendship. Well then, I'll take it. Thanks for your suggestion."

Sumireko took the heart and examined it. Haru hesitated to ask her the question she had on her mind, but she finally decided to ask her.

"Hanabusa-san…about Mahiru-san…did you see her change? I mean, switch personality? Like, Mahiru-san becoming Shinya-san in front of you?"

"Yes, it happened once, it was quite something. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, for nothing. I was just curious, because…I thought that maybe, Mahiru-san and Shinya were two different people, but it's not the case…"

"Oh my, where did you get that wacky idea?" the lady asked.

Haru hesitated to answer. If she told her that Shiena suspected Banba to be the traitor, it would certainly ended up in a conflict. So she decided to lie.

"It's just because…they are so different. It's hard to believe that they are the same person." Haru replied.

"Well, they aren't really the same person, but at the same time they are. It's quite fascinating. The existence of Shinya-san is one of the many things that make Banba-san so special to me."

"Huh? You find the fact that she has a split personality fascinating?" Tokaku asked.

"Well, of course. It's the proof that Banba-san went throw a long of pain, but despite that, she managed to become strong in her own way. I can't help but admiring such a person."

"So you're attracted to her because she's crazy?" the blue haired replied.

"Banba-san's madness is what I like the most about her. It's her most beautiful aspect." Hanabusa replied with a slight giggle.

Haru felt a little be uneased. There was something with Sumireko's behaviour that was quite odd. Even her expression seemed…darker. It was like what she felt for Mahiru wasn't as innocent and pure than what Haru thought.

"Oh, sorry, I was rambling. So, Ichinose-san, now that I've chose the accessories I want, what I should do next for the strap…"

A bell suddenly rang. Haru recognised it. It was the same sound that when Monokuma made an announcement. Haru immediately became worried, fearing that it might mean that someone was murdered.

"Attention everyone! I require your presence in the gymnasium immediately. You dear headmaster have something to tell you. The bastards who don't come will be severely punished. See you soon!" Monokuma said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Monokuma is ruining everything, like usual.
> 
> Shiena played Danganronpa 1. She knew the twins trick.
> 
> Sumireko did say in the manga that the thing she liked the most about Mahiru was her madness (and she really looked creepy when she said that). Well, Sumireko is quite creepy sometimes, but SumiBanba is probably my favorite ship in the manga version. I like pairings that are both cute and creepy.
> 
> Yeah, Mizorogi-sensei is finally mentioned! What's up with him?


	27. Chapter 4: I'll protect you

Haru arrived in the gymnasium together with Tokaku and Sumireko. Everyone else was gathered there. Haru was surprised to see Shiena and Mahiru, but since Monokuma threatened them to come here, their presence here was normal. Suzu and Isuke were all alone, both of them gave off an unapproachable vibe.

"Haru-chan! Finally, someone friendly. All the others are so gloomy, and they act like big meanies when I try to talk to them." Nio exclaimed.

"Isn't it only because you're a trash?" Tokaku replied.

"Eh, usually they speak with me despite that." Hashiri responded.

"I'm going to make sure that Banba-san is alright." Hanabusa said before heading toward Mahiru.

Haru was relieved to see that everyone was still alive. She was so scared that it might me a Body Discovery Announcement. But, the fact that Monokuma convoked them and even threatened them wasn't good sign at all.

"Upupu, I see that all my dear students came. It fills my heart with pure happiness to see you all being so assiduous."

Monokuma's figure had appeared on the screen.

"Stop with the fake kindness and tells us why you forced us to come here!" Shiena shouted.

"What you just sadden me, why are you so mean with your poor headmaster…"

"Enough, just tells us what do you want!" the hacker replied angrily.

"Alright. I convoked you here to tell you something important. You bastards…haven't committed a murder already! It's been almost a week since the third class trial took place, what take you so long!?"

"You're losing your time! We are not going to kill each other! Nobody wants to take part of your cruel game anymore!" Haru shouted.

"Huh? But I want to give you the fourth motive…"

"Give up! Whatever your motive is, it won't change anything. You can't break the unity between us classmates!" Haru insisted with determination.

Monokuma looked stoic for a moment, before that a wicked smile appeared on his lips.

"Even if the motive is your very own life?" he asked.

"What…what do you mean?" Isuke asked.

"Isn't enough clear? If no one kills anymore, I've not point in continuing the game." Monokuma began to explain. "So, I leave you three days to commit a murder. If no one dies after this time limit, I'll unleash an army of Monokumas to decimate you all!"

The headmaster's declaration caused everyone to show a shocked expression.

"I see. The game master begins to be bored of his own game, so he gave us an ultimatum to entertain him or otherwise he'll get rid of us players. Sickening." Suzu commented scornfully.

"Don't fuck with me! You're threatening to kill us all if we don't commit murder? You fucking asshole!" Isuke shouted furiously.

"I won't let you get away with this, Mizorogi!" Shiena suddenly yelled.

Everybody became quiet and looked at the brunette.

"Huh? Mizorogi? Who's that? I'm Monokuma."

"Don't try to lie. You're Mizorogi Ataru, the Class Black's teacher!" Shiena accused.

"Do I've a face to be called something as lame as Ataru? And I'm not your teacher, but your headmaster!"

"Shut up, _sensei_! You're just a creep that plays with the lives of his own students for his enjoyment." the hacker replied.

"What, Mizorogi? The guy in the book? He's the mastermind?" Isuke asked.

"It's obviously him!" Shiena replied.

"Meh, what a loser. A mere teacher that pretends to be the headmaster of Hope's peak…" the pink haired girl commented.

"I'm not pretending! I'm really Hope's Peak Academy's headmaster. I've nothing to do with this Mizorogi guy."

Haru remembered that Shiena had shared with her the suspicion she had about Ataru. Haru found it weird that a teacher from Myojo would pretend to be the headmaster of Hope's Peak. In fact, Hope's Peak Academy implication in Class Black was odd in the first place. Wasn't the true purpose of Class Black only about Haru? Then what was the point of giving them SMSL title? Haru began to think that she may have mistaken the true purpose of Class Black.

"Then drop your mask! Show us your real face, you coward!" Shiena shouted.

"That's enough! If you continued to disrespect your headmaster, I'll have to punish you…" Monokuma replied with a menacing voice.

"I don't care, I'm not scared of you! You're the one who disrespect his students!" the hacker added.

Suddenly, Suzu approached from Shiena and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Shiena-san, you should stop. You put your life in danger needlessly." the gamester said calmly.

The hacker glared at her with an annoyed expression and forcefully removed her hand from her shoulder. Shiena then headed to the exit and left the gymnasium.

"What a troublesome child…Anyway, if you want to live, you better start now to elaborate a murder. Because otherwise, in three days, you will be eviscerated by my terrible Monokumas' bears. Upupu…"

Monokuma disappeared from the screen. This time, Haru knew that it was hopeless. With such a motive, there was no way that a murder won't occur.

* * *

One day and half had passed since Monokuma revealed the fourth motive. Half of the time limit had passed without that someone died. But Haru knew that it was only a matter of time until a murder occurred. Even if she wanted to trust her classmates, she knew that some of them could kill if their life was directly in danger.

Sumireko didn't seem afraid by Monokuma's threat. In fact, she thought that it was only idle talk. According to her, the headmaster only wanted to scare them enough to convince them to commit a murder. She considered that the real fourth motive was the fear of death rather than an actual life threat. This is why the lady had returned to the art club room to continue working on her strap.

Shiena went back in the sitting room and once again shut herself in. But this time, she refused to let Haru entered. Suzu was nowhere to be found. Haru was kind of worried of what those two could do in such a despairful situation.

But the person that Haru was the most worried about was Isuke. She knew that the pink haired girl was someone who could kill if it benefits her. It was unthinkable that she wouldn't try to commit murder if it was to save her own life.

When it was nighttime, Haru returned to the sitting room with Tokaku to try again to talk with Shiena. Like all the other times, no matter how many times Haru knocked at the door, she received no answer.

"Maybe she's not here anymore." the blue haired girl said.

"Then why the door is still locked? Shiena-chan is there, she just don't want to open the door."

Haru gave up and walk away, followed by Tokaku.

"Tokaku-san, we only have one day before the time limit end…What do you plan to do?"

"Nothing. Except protecting you if someone try to kill you."

"But what if no murder occurred and Monokuma's threat was real?"

"I highly doubt that it will happen, but if it doesn't, it doesn't change anything about my plans. I'll protect you from either our classmates or Monokuma. I'm not afraid of some teddy bears."

Haru felt a rush of warm browsed in her body. Despite their hopeless situation, Haru knew that she could trust Tokaku. She brought her some hope despite all the despair that befell on them. Tokaku made her have faith again into their survival. On the spur of the moment, Haru grabbed her hand. The blue haired girl didn't complain and they both walked while holding hands.

When they walked into a corridor, Haru noticed that a door was opened. They passed in front and she noticed that it was the infirmary. But it wasn't what surprised her. Someone was inside.

" _It's…Isuke-san!?_ " Haru thought.

She saw the pink haired girl put what seemed to be a small bottle on a tablet. Tokaku immediately walk away while drawing Haru with her.

"We shouldn't stay near Inukai. She definitely looks forward to kill." Tokaku said.

Haru agreed and they both continued to walk. But still, Haru wondered what Isuke was doing in the infirmary.

While heading to the dormitory, they passed in front of the public bath and encounter one of their classmates.

"Nio! What are you doing here?" Haru asked.

"Oh, isn't Haru-chan and Azuma-san! Well, I came here because I saw Shinya-san punching the door."

"Huh? Why would she do that?" Tokaku asked.

"Try to open and you'll see." Hashiri replied.

The blue haired girl approached from the door and tried to open it. Nothing happened.

"The door…something is blocking it." Tokaku said.

"Exactly. It enraged Shinya-san, so she tried to smash the door." Nio replied.

"And where is Shinya-san now?" Haru asked.

"She said that she was going to retrieve something." the blonde girl answered.

Haru suddenly heard someone walking behind her. She turned back and discovered the silver haired girl, who was holding a sledgehammer.

"Here comes the demolisher!" Shinya shouted. "Imma gonna smash dat fuckin' door!"

"Wait! You can't do that! It would be an act of vandalism!" Nio protested.

"I ain't care! I want to go in the bath…" Shinya began to say.

Suddenly, a violent noise interrupted her. It was coming from the public bath. It sounded like an explosion.

"Ok, destroy the door." Nio asked.

"Not _destroy_ …DEMOLISH!" Shinya replied with a wide grin.

The silver haired girl raised her sledgehammer and stroke it down on the door. It took her only one hit to shatter the door. So it was true, Shinya was quite strong.

The four of them went inside. They arrived in the locker room. Nothing seemed unusual, except for the benches that were broken on the floor. There must be the things that were blocking the door.

"Let's go see the bath!" Nio proposed.

Everybody agreed and they headed toward the area with the bath. Hashiri opened the door and they entered the room.

A body was floating in the bath. The person was naked, and…faceless. To be exact, their head was burned and completely blackened. It was impossible to guess who it was just by looking at their face, but one thing was sure. It was definitely a corpse.

Haru immediately felt nauseous at the dead body's sight. Someone died in such a gruesome way, and she wasn't even able to know who it was.

"Attention everyone! This is the Body Discovery Announcement. A body has been discovered in the public bath. You're invited to go there for more information."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like someone almost lost their head. Ha.
> 
> So to whom this faceless corpse belong?
> 
> I've another question for you. Do you agree with all the talents I chose for the characters? If not, tells me those you would have choose. I'm planning to find alternate ultimate talents for some of the characters.


	28. Chapter 4: The request she couldn't have fulfilled

Haru felt a significant amount of stress while gazing at the door. It's been less than a minute since the announcement was made. As soon as her classmates will come here, she'll discover who died. Even if only the fact that someone died saddened her, she was anxious to discover who it was.

"Oh, so it isn't one of you who died. How unfortunate."

It was Isuke, who just arrived, who had said that. So the victim wasn't her. This means that it was whether Sumireko, Suzu or Shiena.

"So, the murder occurred in the public bath this time. Don't tell me that someone was drowned to death…" the pink haired began to say, before seeing the corpse. "What…what the hell is that!?"

Haru was surprised to see Isuke with such a shocked expression. Few seconds ago she was acting so insensitive, and now she was astonished by the corpse. Maybe the kick-boxer was just not good with gruesome sight. Someone else suddenly came inside the room.

"So it's not you, Banba-san. What a relief. So, who died?" Sumireko asked.

"That's the problem. We don't know." Nio replied.

"How is that even possible…?" the lady began to say, before discovering in what state the corpse was. "Oh…my. What a vulgar way to kill someone."

"So it's whether the midget or the nerd who died." Isuke commented. "Whatever, they are both dorks."

Every gaze was directed at the door. Whoever passed the door will confirm the victim's identity. Haru felt nervous. A shadow appeared in the door frame and the remaining student finally came.

"Uh…where is Shuto? She's the only one who's not here…Wait, don't tell me she's…" Shiena said.

The brunette rushed toward the bath and looked horrified when she discovered the corpse.

"No…it can't be…it's Shuto!?" the hacker mumbled with a shocked expression.

"So it's really Shuto-san the victim this time. What a shame, she was the one who seemed the most eager to win. It's even kind of ironic." Sumireko said.

Haru wasn't sure what to think about Hanabusa's behaviour. The lady didn't seem particularly happy about Suzu's death, but she looked kind of relief that the victim was the gamester. Shiena on the other hand seemed completely shaken by Suzu's demise. Haru in her case was really surprise. Suzu was probably the last one she thought could be murdered. She found in hard to believe that the corpse really belonged to her. But it as to be her, who else could it be?

"Hello, can you hear me? Sorry if I can't appear here, there's not screen or camera in the public bath and locker room." Monokuma's voice said.

"No camera you said? Then how can you know the culprit's identity?" Sumireko asked.

"Don't understate me! With all the others cameras in the school, it's easy for me to know who killed Shuto-san." Monokuma replied. "Anyway, I leave you some time to investigate, good luck!"

It seemed that Monokuma confirmed that it was indeed Suzu's corpse.

"Hum, we should investigate the corpse first, but…I don't want to go retrieve it." Hanabusa said.

"Isuke either! Ew."

"What a shame…I really liked dat bath." Shinya commented.

"I'll go get it." Tokaku declared.

The blue haired girl approached from the bath and jumped in it. Immediately, Haru had the reflex to go search for a towel. When she found them, she decided to take two towels and went back to the bath.

"You truly are an assassin huh. To be able to go inside a bath where someone's head was blown off with to retrieve a corpse without being disgusted, you must be quite used to this kind of things." Nio commented.

Tokaku came out from the water, while carrying the corpse in her arms. She slowly put the body on the floor and Haru rushed to drop a towel on it, while giving the other to her roommate. Haru made sure that the towel covered from Suzu's burned head to her crotch.

"Ichinose-san…?" Sumireko said with a confuse expression.

"Ah, it's just that…Haru thinks that even if Suzu-san is dead, we should still respect her intimacy."

"Well Isuke will let you have fun investigating the corpse. I've no interest in watching a half-burned naked body."

The pink haired girl left the public bath, followed by Nio and Shinya. Sumireko grabbed the towel and lifted it a little, only to uncover the victim's face and neck.

"The burns are enough severe to have blackened her skin. Even the hair has completely burned. The corpse is really unrecognizable. I wonder what could have caused such burns and why the culprit did that…" Hanabusa said.

"Before we came inside the locker room, we heard an explosion." Haru replied.

"An explosion? So the culprit used some kind of explosive to kill Shuto-san." the lady deduced.

Sumireko lifted the towel a little bit more, just to reveal the corpse's torso.

"The burns cover from her head to her chest." Hanabusa commented. "And there is another small burn on her belly."

"The wound on her throat is more severe. There's even some blood. I think the explosion's point of impact was near her throat. It's like the explosive was fixed around her neck." Tokaku said.

Sumireko covered the corpse with the towel and rose up.

"I'll go investigate the locker room." the lady said before leaving.

Haru decided to stay a little bit to search for more clues. She noticed that Shiena was still here. The brunette looked still quite shocked. Haru then spotted a big black bag in one of the room's corner. She approached from it and discovered that it was a long transport bag. Curious, Haru opened it and discovered that the bag was filled with board games.

"It must be Shuto's bag." Tokaku said. "But why would she bring games in the public bath?"

"Who knows…maybe she played games in the bath? Suzu-san could be quite eccentric sometimes." Haru replied.

She looked around for more clues. Haru noticed that something was floating in the bath near the edge. Cautiously, Haru went to retrieve it and discovered that it was a card.

"A playing card? So she really played in the bath." Tokaku said.

"It's the seven of diamond." Haru commented.

Haru shoved the card in her pocket. She didn't think that it was a clue, but she still wanted to keep it.

"There doesn't seem to have any more clues here. We should go in the locker room to looks for more clues." Tokaku proposed.

Haru agreed and they both began to head toward the door. Haru stopped when she noticed that Shiena was still remaining immobile.

"Shiena-chan…?" Haru called, worried.

"We…we can't leave her like this. Her corpse will be exposed during the class trial. We should at least…cover her up." the hacker said.

"Yes, you're right. Even the deceased have the right to have some dignity. Suzu-san's clothes must be in the locker room. You should come with us and try to find them." Haru offered.

The brunette accepted and the three of them left the public bath to go in the locker room. The only person who was there was Sumireko. They began to search in all the lockers, until Haru found the one with the gamester's clothes. But there had other things inside. What caught Haru's interest first was a small bottle. She took it and examined it.

"It's painkiller. Oh, there has a warning. It's written that those pills shouldn't be mixed with narcotics, otherwise it could cause an overdose. "Haru read. "Maybe Suzu-san had a headache."

"There's something else." Tokaku said while pointing the bottom of the locker, before retrieving the object. "It's another playing card. This time it's a joker. Hum, I guess that it's normal. It was the locker of a gamester."

"Can I have it?" Haru asked.

"Uh? Yeah, sure." the blue haired girl while said giving her the card.

Haru couldn't explain why, but she had the feeling that she should collect those cards. She put the painkiller's bottle back in the locker. She then noticed that Sumireko was gazing at another locker.

"Hanabusa-san, is there something wrong?" Haru asked.

"No really. It's just that this locker is locked." Sumireko replied.

Haru examined the locker. There had a padlock, or to be more precise, a combination lock. Haru also noticed that a black tissue protrude bellow the door. Haru tried to take it, but it was stuck up. Fearing that she might tear it, Haru let it go.

"What is this?" Hanabusa asked.

"It looks like a sock…or rather tights." Haru replied.

"Hum, whoever is using this locker, this person doesn't want others to open it." Sumireko said. "Anyway, I'm done investigation the locker room. I'll continue somewhere else."

The lady walked away and left the room.

"We should leave too." Tokaku said.

"I-I'll stay a little." Shiena suddenly said. "To dress Shuto's corpse and…do something about her face."

"Okay. Tokaku-san, we should passed by the dormitory. You need to change clothes." Haru said.

"If you insist."

They left the locker room, leaving the hacker alone. They headed to the dormitory and encountered Nio.

"Hey guys! What are you doing here?" Hashiri asked.

"Tokaku-san's clothes are wet, she needs to change them." Haru replied.

"I see. Well, I was investigating this area. There is a room that I want to check, do you want to come with me?"

"Not particularly." Tokaku answered.

"Which room?" Haru asked.

"Shuto-san's dorm room." Nio replied.

"Huh? Why? We never done that before." the blue haired girl replied.

"Well, Shuto-san's death is kind of weird, so I was thinking that maybe we could find clues in her room." the blonde girl explained.

"Yes, we could investigate there. Tokaku-san, go change clothes, I'll go with Nio in Suzu-san's room."

"But…"

"Don't worry, we're in the middle of an investigation. Haru will be fine."

With some hesitation, Tokaku walked away and went to their room. Haru went with Nio in Suzu's dorm room. It was quite similar to Haru's room. Haru noticed that there had two cups on the coffee table. She approached from them and saw that there had tea bags in them.

"Looks like Shuto-san took a tea with someone." Nio commented.

Haru examined the empty cups of tea. Judging by the tea residues and the tea bags, it must have been black tea. The door suddenly opened. Haru turned back and discovered that it was Tokaku who came in.

"Wow that was quick!" Nio said.

"Of course. There's no way that I'll let Ichinose stay too long alone with someone like you." Tokaku replied.

"Ouch, that's harsh." Hashiri said with a grin.

"So, did you find something relevant to the murder?" Tokaku asked.

"No, just two cups of tea." Haru replied.

"Well, let's search for clues!" Nio exclaimed.

The three of them began to investigate Suzu's dorm room. Haru went to the bedroom and discovered four things on the nightstand. There had two envelopes, one regular and one white and black, a piece of paper and another playing card.

"Did Shuto drop cards at everyplace she go or what?" Tokaku commented.

"Oh, that must be her second and third motives!" Nio exclaimed. "I want to see!"

"You can't! Even if she's dead, it's Suzu-san's privacy." Haru protested.

"Maybe it's relevant to her murder. There could be important clues." the blonde girl insisted.

"…Fine. But if there aren't clues, what we would learn from those envelopes will stay a secret between us. Understood?" Haru replied.

"Roger!" Nio exclaimed, before opening the regular envelope. "Hum, this one's empty. Shuto-san must be one of them without any relative. That sucks for her."

Haru felt sad for the gamester. It seemed that like her and Tokaku, Suzu didn't have anyone who cared for her, or all her relatives were dead. Either way, that was sad. Nio took the black and white envelope and opened it, before reading what was inside.

"I'm over 100 years old due to an illness called Highlander Syndrome." Hashiri read. "Huh?"

"Ok, this one is clearly a joke. There's no way that it could be true." Tokaku commented.

"Then why it's her second motive? Why would someone put a fake darkest secret in her envelope?" Haru asked.

"I don't know, but this sci-fi bullshit is clearly fake." the blue haired girl replied.

Haru wondered if it could true. Haru knew that there were people in the world who could have special abilities due to something different with their bodies. Maybe Suzu was one of them.

"What about that?" Tokaku said before taking the piece of paper and read it. "Shuto, I'm leaving you this note to tell you that I decided to appoint you as the vice-class representative. It means that if something were to happen to me, you'll be in charge of the class. I'm counting on you to take care of our classmates. I don't intent to die, but it's better to be provident…And it's signed Kaminaga Kouko."

"What!? Shuto-san was the new class rep this entire time?! But I thought that it was me…" Nio said with disappointment. "Well, now I guess that I can be the class rep."

Haru felt saddened by what she learned. It must be why Kouko went to Suzu's room before being murdered by Otoya, to leave that message. So Kaminaga knew that she was probably going to die, whether killed or because she would have been the blackened. She wanted to be sure that her classmates will be fine even after her death. She felt also sad about Suzu. All this time, the gamester wanted to protect them to honor Kouko's last wish.

"This message…it must have been quite important for Suzu-san if she kept it on her nightstand." Haru said sadly.

Haru noticed the playing card and took it. It was the ace of spades. Like the other cards, Haru kept it. They continued to investigate the room, but since they found nothing that could be a clue, they left. Nio continued to investigate alone, while Haru and Tokaku stayed together.

They passed in front of a room that Haru never went inside before. Curious, she decided to open the door and looked inside. The temperature of the room was colder than the rest of the school. It look like the infirmary, but gloomier. There had a metallic table, what seemed to be freezers and medical tools.

"What is this place?" Haru asked.

"It looks like a morgue. What this kind of room is doing in a school, I wonder." Tokaku replied.

They walked away from this room and continued to walk. They passed in front of the infirmary and Haru decided to go inside.

"Ichinose, what are you doing?"

"There's something that I need to check."

Inside of the infirmary, Haru checked on one tablet in particular. On it there had a small bottle. Haru took it and examined it.

"Those are sleeping pills. According to what's written on the bottle, these are slow effect pills. It could take 30 minutes before those take effect." Haru said.

"Ok…and why is it important to the investigation?"

"Haru doesn't think that it's about Suzu-san's murder, but…that bottle, I saw Isuke-san hold it earlier. Maybe she has trouble to sleep?"

"I don't really care about Inukai."

"Upupu, the investigation time is now over! You all need to come to the elevator near the vending machines. If someone doesn't come, this person will be punished. Please hurry, the class trial will begin soon!" Monokuma's voice resonated.

Haru put the bottle on the tablet and left the infirmary with Tokaku.

* * *

The elevator's doors opened. Once again, they'll have to return to this despairful room to find out who the culprit was. Haru found it terrifying how much she was used to this situation. It was the fourth time they had to do this, and she had the feeling that it won't be the last time. Everyone entered inside the elevator and the door closed. The elevator began to move, going down.

" _Suzu-san…she was our class rep without us knowing it. All she wanted was to find a way to win this game and saved us, to honor Kouko-chan's request. But she was killed before that she could succeed…and her murderer is one of us. To honor Suzu-san's will to protect us and for everyone's sake, Haru will definitely discover the culprit's identity during the class trial!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who killed Suzu!?
> 
> So now you know why Kouko went to Suzu's room before that she was killed by Otoya.
> 
> I did a research about the Highlander Syndrom and I discovered that it was an actual thing. I always thought that it was something invented by AnR author for the manga...
> 
> It will probably be a long class trial.


	29. Chapter 4: Let's the fourth class trial begin!

Haruki's portrait had been added on the wall with the other deceased people's pictures. Just like those, the redhead's photo had a blood colored X painted on her face and a flower had been placed under the portrait.

"It seems to be a verbena flower." Sumireko commented.

Haru remembered that in the previous class trials, Suzu was the one who told them about the flowers.

"Hanabusa-san, do you know what verbena means in the language of flowers?" Haru asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't. I do like flowers, but I'm not a specialist."

"Really? How surprising! Even if you have the word flower _(hana)_ in your name…" Nio said.

"Huh? If I don't mistaken, "nio" is an old name for some kind of grebe. Does it mean that you're a birds' specialist?" Hanabusa replied.

Hashiri didn't answer, she only showed an enigmatic grin. Haru went to her seat. Once again the circle of desks had diminished. It was the first time that they were an odd number of people attending the class trial. She then noticed the coffin. Suzu's corpse was lying in it. This time, she was clothed, and a black bag was covering her head.

"I did what I can to cover her face." Shiena explained.

"With a black bag? Her face was all blackened, it's not like it make a big difference…" Isuke commented. "But it's true that it's better this way. Isuke wouldn't want to have to see a burned face for all the class trial's time."

Haru noticed that Tokaku's desk had changed. Her talent was now written on it. Under her name it was written "SMSL Assassin". Banba's desk had also been modified to represent her Shinya's persona.

"Ok everyone, it's time to go to your seat, the class trial is about to start!" Monokuma said.

Everybody went to their respective desk. Due to Suzu's death, Shiena was now next to Nio.

"You'll argue with each other and try to find the culprit who killed Shuto Suzu. When the majority of you will agree, you'll vote to determine who you think had committed the murder. If the blackened is discovered, this person alone will be executed. But if you vote for the wrong person, everybody except the blackened will be executed and this person will graduate and as a reward, will have a wish granted. Without further ado, let's begin the class trial!" Monokuma explained once again.

"So, let's discuss the cause of death first." Sumireko said.

"Isn't obvious? Someone burned her alive!" Isuke replied.

Haru wondered about that. Was Suzu killed by fire? No, it couldn't be. It wasn't only a regular fire that the culprit used.

"That's not entirely right. Before we went inside the public bath, Haru heard an explosion. Tokaku-san, Nio and Shinya-san should have heard it too." Haru replied

"That's true, I heard an exposition." Nio confirmed.

"Shuto must have been killed by some kind of explosive, probably a bomb. I examined the corpse and I'm sure that the bomb exploded near her throat. Shuto probably died because her throat was crushed by the explosion." Tokaku added.

"Judging by the severe burns wounds, I'm guessing that it was an incendiary bomb." Sumireko said.

"Wait! How the culprit could have killed Shuto-san with a bomb without being herself caught by the explosion? And a bomb should have completely destroyed her head, not just burning it." Isuke protested.

Haru remembered something that Tokaku said during the investigation, something that could explain how the culprit proceeded to kill Suzu with a bomb.

"What if the bomb had been fixed to Suzu-san's neck? The culprit could have taken advantage of the fact that Suzu-san was in the bath to take her by surprise and somehow placed a bomb around her neck. The culprit could have then stepped aside and made the bomb exploded without being near it." Haru proposed.

"But still, if a bomb exploded so close from your body, it won't only burn you. And why Shuto-san didn't just remove the bomb? And how could she be burned in the water?" Isuke insisted.

"Like I said, it was probably an incendiary bomb. This kind of bomb's purpose is to burn, not destroy. The exposition was probably weak, but enough powerful to cause a fatal injury on her throat. So the culprit could have placed the bomb around Shuto-san's neck, recoiled a little bit, and make it explode. Just couple of meter away from the bomb should be enough to avoid being injured by it. Shuto-san was probably too surprised and realised too late what was going to happen to her to get rid of the bomb." Sumireko replied.

"That still doesn't explain how she was able to burn in the water." Nio replied.

"Shuto's head was probably outside the water when the bomb exploded. It would explain why she was only burned from her head to her chest, the rest of her body must been immersed in the bath. Then when her corpse fell entirely in the water, it extinguished the fire. But, it's possible to burn under water, if there had some kind of flammable combustible in the bomb. Hum, maybe it explains the slight burn on her belly." Tokaku explained.

"I still find it weird that the culprit used an incendiary bomb rather than a regular one. It would have the same result, minus the burns, which means that the fact that Shuto-san was burned had a purpose for the culprit. "Hanabusa added. "Maybe the culprit didn't expect that someone would hear the explosion. The burns were probably to hide the real cause of death. The culprit must have wanted to make us believe that Shuto-san was burned to death."

Haru tried to imagine this scene. Suzu was alone in the public bath. The culprit joined her and succeeded to put a bomb around her neck. The gamester was probably too confused to react and understood too late what it was about. The culprit then recoiled enough to not be caught by the explosion and made the bomb explode, killing Suzu. It was the only possibility that she could think of with the current clues.

"Now that we established how the murder occurred, it's time to search for the culprit. When was the last time you saw Shuto-san alive?" Sumireko asked. "Honestly I didn't encounter her today."

"She came to see me after supper time, in the sitting room." Shiena replied.

"Isuke didn't see her at all today."

"Me neither." Nio said.

"Mahiru saw her wanderin' while carryin' some big bag." Shinya revealed. "It was slightly before nighttime."

"Oh, you mean a black transport bag? Haru saw it in the public bath. It's filled with board games. Ah, also, Haru didn't see Suzu-san today."

"Board games? You mean Shuto-san played games in the public bath? Isuke knows that she was a gamester but that's quite excessive."

"Just like Ichinose, I didn't encounter Shuto today." Tokaku said.

"So only Banba-san and Kenmochi-san claimed to have seen the victim alive, and it was both during the evening. It will be hard to establish alibis…" Sumireko said.

Haru wondered if it was really the case. She tried to remember some evidence at the crime scene and the circumstance of the corpse discovery. She then understood that some of them had already alibis.

"You're wrong, Hanabusa-san. There's a way to proof some of us alibis." Haru replied.

"Really? Then I would gladly hear what you have to say, Ichinose-san."

"When I went to the public bath with Tokaku-san, the door was blocked. Shinya-san had to break it to allow us to enter and we heard the exposition before we went inside. It means that Haru, Tokaku-san, Nio or Shinya-san can't be the culprit. And the door was blocked by benches."

"Oh, I see. It was a closed room." Sumireko replied.

"I don't see how it gives you an alibi!" Isuke protested.

"The culprit was most certainly in the public bath when the bomb exploded and the four of us were outside when it happened. And it's not only that. Whoever put those benches couldn't leave the room. So it means that the culprit was still in the public bath when we came inside!" Haru deduced.

"What? How is that possible? We saw no one when we went inside!" Nio replied.

"We didn't look for someone either. Since we didn't notice something in the locker room, we went to the public bath and discovered the corpse. The culprit could have heard the door being destroyed when she was trying to leave and she quickly hide in one of the lockers. And then the culprit went out and pretended to arrive at the crime scene." Haru said.

"What an impressive deduction, Ichinose-san. You proved four alibis." Hanabusa replied.

"So it means that the culprit must be either Inukai, Hanabusa or Kenmochi." Tokaku added. "One of them killed Shuto and hid inside a locker and wait until the announcement to come out. Only one of those three could have done that."

"W-Wait! I'm not the culprit, I swear! I was in the sitting room." Shiena replied nervously.

"Isuke isn't the culprit either. I was in my room when I heard the announcement." the pink haired girl declared, looking away.

"I was in the art club room, but unfortunately, I've no way to prove it." Sumireko said.

Haru tried to deduce which one of those three was the most apt to have committed the murder. All of them seemed to be telling the truth. Haru suddenly thought about something else completely, something that she found when she investigated Suzu's room.

"One of us lied!" Haru declared.

"Huh? What do mean?" Isuke asked.

"Everybody except Shiena-chan and Mahiru-san didn't see Suzu-san today, but it can't be true. Tokaku-san and Nio can confirm it. The three of us investigated Suzu-san's room, and we found two cups of tea on her coffee table. The cups were empty, but they still had tea bags inside and the cups were tepid. It's obvious that Suzu-san drank tea with someone today!" Haru replied.

"Oh, that's true! Looks like Shuto-san had a little tea party with someone before dying." Nio said.

"I see. So one of us did see Shuto-san alive, and even drank a tea with her. That means that indeed, one of us lied." Hanabusa replied.

"I don't know why this person lied, but it's clearly suspicious. We should try to find out who drank tea with Suzu-san." Haru proposed.

"It would be a waste of time. It doesn't seem related to her being killed by a bomb." Isuke replied.

"Sounds more like you want to avoid the topic, Inukai." Tokaku said.

"What are you insinuating!? That Isuke drank tea with that midget!? I've better things to do! Kenmochi-san is way more suspicious than me! She met up with the victim, she could have follow her to her room and drink tea with her."

"What!? No I didn't! If I would have wanted to take a tea with Shuto, I'll have done it in the sitting room!" Shiena protested. "And I don't even drink tea! The one here who's a tea addict is Hanabusa!"

"Oh my, I beg your pardon. Me, drinking tea with Shuto-san? I would rather have a tea party with Banba-san or Ichinose-san." Sumireko replied.

"Yes, it must be you! You're so fond of black tea, who else would have drank some with Shuto-san other than you Hanabusa-san!" Isuke accused.

"Oy, maybe Shuto's just a glutton so she took two cups of tea for herself." Shinya argued.

"Why taking two cups? She could have just refilled her cup with more tea." Nio said.

"What a ridicule accusation. You can have tea bags at the cafeteria, it's not like I'm the only one who have access to tea." Hanabusa replied.

Haru remembered when Sumireko offered her to make an alliance, she invited her to a tea party first. Could she have tried to do the same with Suzu? Hanabusa denied it, but she could be lying. Between Isuke and Shiena, the hacker seemed to be the most apt to drink tea with Suzu. She was the one who was in the better term with the gamester.

Suddenly, Haru realised that one of the statements made by one of her classmates about who drank tea with Suzu was odd. No, it was more than just odd, it was suspicious. It was clear for Haru now, this person must be the one who drank tea with Suzu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHOOSE YOUR TRUTH BULLET! Which statement is weird and why? If you know the answer tell me in a comment!


	30. Chapter 4: The tea mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I've an annoucement to do. It's kind of bad news for you, but good news to me. I'll start a full-time job tomorrow (because I need money to live), so I'll have less time to work of my fanfictions. The updates will be diminushed, but I'll still work on this story in my free time. When I first started this story I was doing a traineeship and it took me three/four days to write a chapter. I hope that you'll understand.

Haru took a deep breath, before she glared the person at the seat #2.

"Isuke-san…how do you know that it was black tea?" Haru asked.

The pink haired girl seemed confused at first, before she showed a defensive attitude.

"Well…because you said it! You told us that you found cups with black tea bags inside." Isuke replied.

"No, that's wrong! Haru didn't say that! I said that I found cups with tea bags inside. I never specified what kind of tea it was."

"That's true…Ichinose didn't tell us what kind of tea it was. Shiena said.

"It's quite suspicious that you specify what kind of tea it was, Inukai-san." Sumireko added.

Everyone looked at Isuke with distrustful glares. The pink haired girl looked nervous, before she burst in anger.

"Why are you all looking at me like I killed her!? I'm not the culprit! Yes I said black tea, and? Haru also said that it was black tea, how could she know!?" Isuke protested.

"Well she investigated the room with me, and she saw what kind of tea it was. It's normal for her to know it. You on the other hands aren't supposed to know this since you weren't there and Haru-chan never said it to you." Nio replied.

"But…it's obvious that if Hanabusa-san chooses to drink tea with someone she would take black tea. It's the kind of tea she drinks the more often!" the kick-boxer argued.

"It's true that black tea is my favorite type of tea, but I also drink other types. Don't try to make it look like its normal to insinuate that I only drink black tea. The way you said it show clearly that you know that the tea Shuto-san drank was black tea. Stop trying to fool us with some desperate lies." Hanabusa replied.

The pink haired girl looked around, clearly anxious about the accusation against her. She then had a furious expression on her face.

"Yes, yes it was me who drank tea with Shuto-san! Are you happy now!? It still doesn't prove that I'm the culprit!" Isuke shouted angrily.

"The point wasn't to prove that you are the culprit, Isuke-san. I just want to know why you lied about not seeing Suzu-san today." Haru replied.

"Why I lied? Because Isuke knew that you'll accuse me just because I drank tea with her! I just don't think that it was something important to mention." Isuke replied.

"The fact that you thought that we would suspect you because you drank tea with the victim is exactly what is suspicious." Sumireko commented.

"Shut up you brat! You're way more suspicious than me! You said that you were in the art club room, what a joke. What would a rich girl such as you do in this kind of place?" the pink haired girl said.

Hanabusa remained silent. Haru knew why the lady was in the art club room and she also understood why she didn't want to explain herself. So Haru decided to help Sumireko justified her presence there.

"Haru saw Hanabusa-san few times in the art club room, so I don't think that she's lying."

"You're telling me that miss "SMSL Lady" has somehow an interest for art? What next? She secretly loves to cook!?" Isuke replied sarcastically.

"Well, cooking is one of my hobbies, especially baking. After all, what would be a tea party without cakes?" Sumireko replied seriously."

Everyone suddenly looked at the lady with surprised, which seemed to confuse Hanabusa.

"Is it so surprising that I like to cook? When I organise a tea party, I like to take care of everything. I make the tea, the pastries and sometimes the appetizers." Sumireko explained.

"Wow, and your guests are still alive after that?" Nio replied with a taunting smirk.

"Oh my, I wonder what you are insinuating, Hashiri-san." Hanabusa replied with a sinister smile.

"Why do you bother doing all this? I'm sure that with all your money you could pay other people to do this." Shiena said.

"You don't understand the true essence of tea party. When I'm organising tea parties, I want to feel proud of myself. I can only feel proud if my guests are enjoying the result of my own efforts. This is what tea parties mean to me." Sumireko replied.

At first Haru didn't find it ladylike that Sumireko liked to cook, but she realised how wrong she was. She understood by Hanabusa's passion for tea party that she was truly the SMSL Lady, since she really wanted to impress her guests with her own handiwork.

"Then why don't ya become a baker or somethin' like dat rather than being the heiress of your father's company?" Shinya asked.

"It's not like I've a choice…I'm born with this fate. But I do admit that I once dreamt to be a cook, or to have my own tea room…" Sumireko admitted.

"Wow, I think that I misjudged you. I kind of relate to you, Hanabusa." the brunette said respectfully.

Haru also felt like she could relate to Sumireko, but about the fact that they are both born with a predestined "fate". She also remembered something that Shiena told her once. The brunette had said that she wanted to change her talent of being a hacker to become a dramatist. This must be why she related to Sumireko's passion.

"Hey, what are you doing, you bastards!? You're in the middle of a class trial! You should argue, not talking about dream and passion. You could talk about that later…if you find the culprit." Monokuma interrupted.

Haru was kind of surprised by Monokuma's intervention. It almost looked like he was somewhat more impatient that usual.

"So, what were you doing in the art club room? Fabricating a bomb maybe?" Isuke said.

"Oh my, fabricating a bomb in the art club room? What an unusual place do to this." Sumireko replied.

"That's the point. You made it in the art club room because it would be less suspicious." the pink haired girl accused.

Sumireko looked kind of uneased. Haru knew that she probably didn't want to reveal what she was doing there near Banba. Haru suddenly had an idea to solve this problem.

"Shinya-san, can Mahiru-san hear us right now?" Haru asked.

"Huh? Nope, she's not listenin' right now." the silver haired girl replied.

"Hanabusa-san, I think that you can reveal what you were doing in the art club room." Haru said.

"I suppose you're right. It should be a problem if Shinya-san sees it." the lady replied.

Sumireko took something from her pocket and showed it to everyone. It was a strap composed of a duck shaped ornament, a fake purple gem and a silver colored heart. Between those three ornaments there had small platinum colored beads.

"I was making this strap for Banba-san, to cheer her up." Sumireko said.

"You…you really are into her!" Isuke exclaimed.

"Haha, so you're interested into my Mahiru, huh? That's fine, I kind of like you. And it's a pretty thing ya made, I'm sure Mahiru would like it. I'm sure ya could be a great friend for her. I hope Mahiru could understand this and don't try to make it holy…" Shinya replied.

"Oh my, I'm really honored to have your blessing, Shinya-san." Hanabusa said while slightly blushing.

"What is that, flirt? Gross." Nio commented.

"Anyway, this proves why Hanabusa-san was using the art club room." Haru said.

"Then what about Kenmochi-san!? Why did she meet Shuto-san?" Isuke replied.

"Shuto only came to see me because she was worried about me. We barely talked." Shiena said.

"You could be lying! Both of you are as suspicious as Isuke! And Shuto-san died because of a bomb, why is it important that she drank tea with me? It's irrelevant!" the pink haired girl argued.

Haru wondered if it was true. It was hard to believe that the tea was related to Suzu's murder. Haru then remembered something she saw briefly before the body discovery.

"Isuke-san, you really insist on the fact that the murder weapon was a bomb." Haru said.

"Well it's pretty obvious that it is. We all agree to that." Isuke replied.

"It's true, but you're really insistent. Are you perhaps trying to hide the real cause of death?" Haru added.

"Real cause of death? You think it wasn't a bomb that killed Shuto-san?" Hanabusa asked.

"A little before the announcement, I saw Isuke-san in the infirmary. She was holding a bottle of sleeping pills. What if she drank tea with Suzu-san to have a chance to drug her with this?" Haru proposed.

"What? Why would I've done such a thing!?" Isuke replied aggressively.

"Those sleeping pills take 30 minutes before they make effect, and I'm sure that Suzu-san went to the public bath form her own free will. What if the real cause of death is drowning? Suzu-san could have fell asleep in the bath due to the sleeping pills and died from drowning." Haru said.

"So Inukai-san killed Shuto-san. She drugged Shuto-san because she knew that she would go to the public bath and expected her to drown. She then went there to put the bomb around the corpse's neck to hide the true cause of death. Then you hid in a locker and pretended to arrive at the crime scene after the announcement. Inukai-san, you are the culprit, aren't you?" Sumireko concluded.

"I…no, it's not true! Isuke had nothing to do with the bomb!" the pink haired girl protested.

Haru began to doubt a little bit. She was the one who accused Isuke, but something felt off with what Sumireko said. Haru finally understood what was odd.

"That's wrong, Hanabusa-san." Haru replied.

"Huh? I'm wrong?" Sumireko said, confused.

"This murder is more complex than we thought. I think the culprit's intention is greater than we expected." Haru began to say. "Isuke-san, I don't think you are the culprit. But I don't think you are innocent either. But in this case, it's possible that you aren't the blackened. Haru wants to prove that you didn't kill Suzu-san. But for that, you need to be honest and tell us why you drank tea with her. Because otherwise, you'll be vote guilty and you could be executed."

Isuke seemed to be conflicted. She hesitated for few seconds, before finally speaking.

"I suppose there's no point to hide it anymore. I invited Shuto-san to drink tea with me with the intention to drug her with the sleeping pills. I was planning that she would drown to death in the public bath. But Isuke have nothing to do with the bomb, I had no idea that a bomb was used before I discovered the corpse."

"How could we believe you? It must be a lie…" Sumireko insisted.

"No, she's telling the truth. After that I saw Isuke-san in the infirmary, I went to the public bath. It's impossible for Isuke-san to be the one who made explode the bomb, since she couldn't have been in the public bath before me." Haru explained.

"She could have made the bomb explode remotely." Shiena argued.

"Then who blocked the door with the benches? The one who used the bomb must have been still inside the public bath when we came inside, and it couldn't be Isuke-san. So it means that someone else used the bomb." Haru declared.

"So it's whether the sleeping pill that caused Shuto-san to drown to death or the bomb that killed her, which means that there's two potential blackened. The culprit is either Inukai-san or this mystery suspect." Sumireko concluded.

"And this mystery suspect must be Kenmochi or Hanabusa, since all the others have an alibi." Tokaku added.

"It…it's not me…" Shiena replied nervously.

"It's not me either." the lady said calmly.

Haru tried to determine which one of those two could be the mystery suspect. She remembered all the clues in an attempt to find the truth. Suddenly, she remembered one clue in particular, something that she had found during the investigation. She then realised that this murder was even more complex then what she thought.

"No, it's not only the sleeping pill or the bomb that could be the cause of death. There's something else, which also means that there's a third potential culprit…" Haru claimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHOOSE THE RIGHT CLUE! Which clue could prove that there's a third possible cause of death for Suzu's murder? And who do you think is the mystery suspect and the third possible culprit? Tell me in a comment!
> 
> In the anime Sumireko did say that she would want to cook, or something along those words. It's a running gag among the fans that she would be a terrible cook due to her being a oujo-sama, but I'm sure she could be a great cook (Teruteru could have some competition). 
> 
> Congratulation to lee963 who found the right truth bullet! ;)
> 
> The fact that Isuke talked about the bomb was also suspicious, but it didn't prove that she drank tea with Suzu. And it was pretty much aknowledge by everyone that it was probably a bomb that killed Suzu. But it's true that her insistence about the bomb was suspicious, it was used by Haru for her argument.


	31. Chapter 4: Schrodinger culprit

"Another...possible cause of death?" Sumireko questioned.

"Dafuq? Stop makin' all of this every more complicated…" Shinya complained.

"What it is?" Shiena asked eagerly.

Haru remembered an object she discovered during the investigation. At first she didn't thought that it would be relevant, but combined with another object, it could be a primordial clue.

"When I investigated the locker room, I found the locker used by Suzu-san. Her clothes were there, but not only that. I found a bottle of pain killers." Haru explained.

"Pain killer? How could it have cause Shuto-san death?" Hanabusa asked.

"It's not the pain killers that could have killed Suzu-san, but an overdose!" Haru replied.

"Huh? She took too much pain killers?" Nio asked.

"No, she could have mixed it with another medicine. I read on the bottle that mixing that kind of pain killers with narcotics could lead to an overdose." Haru said.

"Wait…so you mean…the sleeping pills mixed with the pain killers could be what killed her?" Isuke asked.

"It's a possibility, but not a certitude. We can't know for sure that Suzu-san really took a pain killer." Haru replied.

Haru realised how much this situation was complicated. With their current knowledges and clues, they couldn't determine what killed Suzu first. She tried to think about a way to pursue the debate despite this problem and understood that there were other things that they needed to establish first.

"We have three potential causes of death, which also means probably three potentials culprits. We know that more than one person tried to kill Suzu-san, and one of them succeeded. It's possible that this person know that they are the real blackened. So we need to establish all the potentials culprits and interrogate them to find the real cause of death." Haru said.

"Well, we know that Inukai-san is one of the potential culprits since she used the sleeping pills. We have to establish who's responsible for the bomb and the pain killers." Sumireko concluded.

"Tss, whoever used that stupid bomb ruined Isuke's chance of winning." the pink haired girl complained.

"Even with the bomb we figured out that you tried to drug Shuto with sleeping pills, so without the bomb you would have been discovered even sooner. Consider yourself lucky that someone else tried to kill Shuto, otherwise you would have already been executed." Tokaku replied coldly.

Isuke glared at the blue haired girl with murderous intents. Haru was forced to admit that Tokaku was right. If Suzu hadn't been disfigured by the bomb, they would have concluded that the gamester died from drowning and would have find out sooner that Isuke drugged her with sleeping pills with the intent to murder her.

"We need to find out who used the bomb, the mystery suspect. Haru thinks that she's the key to understand the truth. About the pain killers, if these are the cause of death, then the culprit would be…Suzu-san herself."

"What, another suicide!?" Nio exclaimed.

"Not necessarily. If Shuto-san used the pain killer because she was in pain and she didn't know that she had been drugged with sleeping pills, she's the one who unconsciously triggered the overdose who killed her. That means that she could have accidentally killed herself." Sumireko replied.

"So it's whether Inukai, Shuto or dat mystery bomb user suspect who's da culprit." Shinya added.

Haru thought about that. There was only one more culprit that they needed to find out. According to the alibis she had established, there weren't a lot of people who could be the mystery suspect.

"We need to find who the mystery suspect is. Like Haru already said, those who discovered the corpse can't be the one who used the bomb since they were outside the public bath when it exploded. So it's not Haru, Tokaku-san, Nio or Shinya-san, and Isuke-san couldn't be there either, which leave us with only two people…" Haru said.

"Kenmochi-san and Hanabusa-san huh…" Nio added.

Even if Sumireko seemed somewhat bothered that she was suspected, she looked pretty confident. Shiena on the other hands seemed rather nervous and uneasy.

"So I just have to prove that I wasn't in the public bath when the bomb exploded." the lady replied.

"Hanabusa-san, you said that you were in the art club room before the announcement. Do you have a way to prove it?" Haru asked.

"Hum, let me think. When I heard the announcement, I saw Inukai-san heading to the public bath. She seemed to have been initially in the public bathroom near the infirmary before the announcement. Am I right, Inukai-san?" Sumireko asked.

"…Yes. I was in the bathroom before the announcement, the one near the infirmary." Isuke confirmed.

"Wait, but you said you were in your room when you heard the announcement." Tokaku commented.

"Oh, about that…Isuke lied."

"What!? Why?" Shiena asked.

"When the class trial began Isuke still believed that she could be the culprit. I wanted to avoid that you find out that I went to the infirmary, just in case you would understood that Shuto-san was drugged with sleeping pills."

"Anyway, I believe that this prove my innocence, right Ichinose-san? If I was really in the public bath when the bomb exploded, how could I know Inukai-san's exact localisation during the announcement?" Hanabusa said.

Haru though about where the infirmary was. It was in the same area as the club rooms. So it was logic that Sumireko could have seen Isuke after the announcement since they were both in the same area. It was also unlikely that the lady could have left the public bath just after them and be near the infirmary before the announcement.

"You're right, Haru doesn't think that it's possible for you to be the culprit."

"Well, now that we proved Hanabusa-san's innocence, it only leaves us one person…" Nio added.

While saying that, the blonde girl glanced at Shiena. It was only a matter of time before everyone gazed at the brunette, who looked even more panicked.

"Kenmochi-san, you're the culprit, the bomb maniac that ruined my plan!" Isuke accused furiously.

"N-No! I'm not! I didn't do it! I was in the sitting room all this time, I swear!" Shiena replied with a desperate voice.

"Only you could have been in the public bath when the bomb exploded. Except you, everyone has an alibi." Sumireko said.

"But…it's not me. Please, believe me. I wouldn't have done something like that!" the hacker pleaded.

Haru knew that all the evidence pointed toward Shiena. She was the only one who could have been hiding in the public bath since she didn't have an alibi. It was logical to accuse her. But Haru couldn't believe that it was the truth. She knew how much Shiena respected Suzu, she couldn't imagine that she would have killed her in such a gruesome way.

"You continue to lie because you know that it's you who killed Shuto-san!" Isuke said.

"Wait, it's wrong! We shouldn't accuse Shiena-chan just because we didn't find her an alibi. It doesn't prove that she's the culprit. We need to make sure that she really doesn't have an alibi before accusing her." Haru replied.

"Ichinose-san, I know that you're well intentioned, but if everyone has an alibi except her, it's the proof that she's the culprit." Sumireko said.

"I know, but…you should know that even when all the clues point to someone, there's still a possibility that this person is innocent." Haru replied.

Hanabusa glanced at Banba, probably because she remembered what happened during the third trial.

"Alright, I agree to continue looking for more evidence before accusing Kenmochi-san." the lady said.

"What!? But she's clearly the culprit! And since we don't know what killed Shuto-san, we have to make her talk! Only the person who used the bomb knows the real cause of death, so we need to…" Isuke began to protest.

"Inukai-san, can you please stay quiet? You tried to kill Shuto-san and you're partially responsible for how complicate this case is, so you're not in position to accuse Kenmochi-san." Sumireko interrupted with a menacing aura.

The pink haired girl looked like she was about to protest, but she said nothing. Isuke seemed pissed, nut she also didn't seem to want to argue with Hanabusa. It was the first time that Haru saw Sumireko genuinely mad.

"Well, she has a point. The person who used the bomb probably knows how Shuto-san died. Before putting the bomb around their neck, this person must have seen if she was dead or alive." Nio said.

"Hum, but if Shuto was dead when they used the bomb, this person couldn't know if she died from drowning or from an overdose." Tokaku commented.

"Oy, forget 'bout that! Why da fuck someone who blow up a corpse!? What da point?" Shinya suddenly said.

"To make us mistaken the real cause of death maybe?" Hashiri proposed.

"No, Shinya-san is right. It doesn't make sense in our current situation. What would be the point to use a bomb on the corpse of someone killed by someone else? It would only help the real culprit and endanger your own survival." Sumireko replied.

"So…whoever used that bomb didn't do it to hide the real cause of death. They did it to kill Shuto. If she was already dead, this person wouldn't have bothered to use the bomb if it wasn't benedict for her. Since the bomb was used, it's safe to assume that it was for killing." Tokaku added.

"So the one who used the bomb is the true culprit! Shuto-san died from an explosion." Isuke concluded with a satisfied expression.

Haru wondered if it was the truth. But, with the lack of other clues, it seemed to be the most plausible possibility.

"And the only person who could be the culprit is Kenmochi-san!" the kick-boxer added.

"I'm not the culprit!" Shiena protested.

"Then what's your alibi? Prove that you were really in the sitting room when the bomb exploded! Spoiler alert, you can't, because you're the culprit!" Isuke retorted.

It seemed that if Shiena couldn't prove her alibi, the debate will end soon and she risked being voted guilty. Haru tried to find a way to prove her innocence. The brunette claimed that she was in the sitting room, bit is there a way to confirm it? Haru suddenly remembered something she did before the announcement that could prove it.

"Before the announcement, Haru and Tokaku-san went to talk with Shiena-chan. Unfortunately, the sitting room's door was locked and she didn't let us in. It was just before that we saw Isuke-san in the infirmary. And then we went to the public bath." Haru said.

"And…?" Isuke replied.

"From the sitting room, there's only way to head to the public bath. If Shiena-chan was really in the public bath, we would have seen her go. Just like with you, it's unlikely that Shiena-chan would be at the public bath before Haru and Tokaku-san."

"You're right, Ichinose-san. You should have seen Kenmochi-san going to the public bath. And if she took a detour, you should have arrived way before her. So it's impossible for her to be the one who barricaded herself in the public bath." Sumireko agreed.

"What!? That's bullshit! If you didn't see her in the sitting room, you can't prove that she was really there!" Isuke protested.

"The sitting room's door can only be locked from the inside. And since everyone else was somewhere else at this moment and that Kenmochi was the one who usually locked herself there, it's safe to assume that she was the one who was inside the sitting room." Tokaku replied.

"But, if Kenmochi-san had an alibi, who's the culprit? It's impossible that we all have an alibi." Nio argued.

"Yes it's possible. It means that our deduction has a hole somewhere. We need to recall all we know about this case and make a new deduction." Haru said.

"There was definitely someone in the sitting room before that we went inside. Otherwise, who would have but those benches to block the door? And it's impossible for this person to have exit the room before that we went inside." Tokaku said.

"And one of us is clearly the culprit, someone was inside to make the bomb exploded." Hanabusa commented.

"So despite everyone's alibi, one of us was able to be in the public bath before us." Nio added.

Haru recalled everyone's alibis. It was true that none of them could have been inside the sitting room when the bomb exploded. It was impossible for her, Tokaku, Nio and Banba, since they were together in front of the public bath when the bomb exploded, and considering the place where Isuke and Shiena were when Haru saw them, it was unlikely form them to be able to be in the public bath, and Sumireko was able to determine the pink haired girl's localisation just after the announcement so she also had an alibi.

Suddenly, Haru realised that there was one of them who was definitely inside the public bath when the bomb exploded. This person must be the one who barricaded the room with the benches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION! Who barricaded the door?
> 
> Sorry for this late update! Like I said, in the previous chapter, I began a full-time job, and it's more exhausting than I thought. I should be able to write another chapter during the weekend.


	32. Chapter 4: The perfect mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that it's the longuest chapter that I wrote for this story! I hope that you'll enjoy.
> 
> Trigger warning! It's possible that some of you will be pissed against me after reading this chapter. I'm (not) sorry for that xD.

"There's one person who was definitely inside the public bath when the bomb exploded." Haru declared.

"Of course there was! How Shuto-san could be murdered if there were no one in the public bath with her…" Isuke replied.

"No, you don't understand what I meant. There was _one_ person in the public bath when the bomb exploded." Haru repeated.

The pink haired girl looked at her with a confused gaze. She wasn't the only one who gazed at Haru with a stunned expression.

"Wait, are you implying that Shuto-san was alone when the bomb exploded?" Sumireko asked.

"Yes, that's what Haru is saying. If everyone has an alibi, then only Suzu-san could have barricaded the door."

"So it was really a suicide, huh." Nio commented.

Haru wondered if it was really the truth. It was true that the gamester was probably alone in the public bath when the bomb exploded and she was surely the one who barricaded the door, but was it enough to claim that it was a suicide? Haru didn't think so.

"Wait, that can't be true!" Shiena suddenly protested. "Those benches were kind of heavy. Do you really think that Shuto could have lifted them to barricade the door?"

"It's true that they were heavy, but it's not impossible to lift them even if you're weak. Haru isn't strong, but I was able once to lift one of them. Suzu-san could, with a lot of effort, lift them. I'm sure." Haru replied.

"So Shuto-san killed herself. She's the one who used the bomb." Isuke said.

"No, it's too soon to say that. Haru only said that she was probably the one who barricaded the door."

"But if she was alone in the public bath, who else could have made the bomb exploded? It's logic itself that prove that Shuto-san is the one who used the bomb." the pink haired girl argued.

Was it true, was it really obvious that Suzu killed herself with the bomb? No, it couldn't be. Haru was convinced that it was more complicated than that.

"No, that's wrong! It's not logical for Suzu-san to kill herself with the bomb! Because if she really intended to commit suicide with the bomb, what about the pain killers in her locker?" Haru replied.

"The pain killers? She probably had a headache or something, there's nothing relevant to this…" Isuke said.

"The pain killers are one of the possible causes of death! Or to be exact, the overdose. This is how Suzu-san intended to kill herself." Haru argued.

"Are you implying that she knew about the sleeping pills!?" Isuke retorted.

"Yes. Haru thinks that it possible that Suzu-san had understood your plan. She could have seen you taking the sleeping pills at the infirmary, and when you invited to take tea with her, she understood. So she took pain killers to cause her death with an overdose!"

"Then what about the bomb?" Sumireko asked. "You think that it's one of us who used it? How?"

Haru thought about that. She was sure that the gamester wasn't the one who used the bomb, but she was definitely alone in the public bath when it exploded. Haru then remembered some objects she found during the investigation and understood what it was all about.

"Everything…was orchestrated by Suzu-san. This entire case, her death, she's the one who's behind all of this." Haru declared.

"…So like Isuke said, it was a suicide…"

"No, not necessarily! Suzu-san wanted to create the perfect mystery. She wanted to make it impossible to find both the cause of death and the culprit. This is why for three possible causes of death, there need to have three potential culprits. The death by drowning would make Isuke-san the culprit because of the sleeping pills and the death by overdose would be a suicide because of the pain killers mixed with the sleeping pills, which mean that the death because of the bomb needs to have someone else as the culprit." Haru explained.

"You seem really convinced of your theory despite the lack of proof." Sumireko commented.

In response of the lady's comment, Haru took out the objects she found during the investigation and showed them to everyone.

"Playing cards?" Hanabusa reacted.

"Haru found one in the bath, in Suzu-san's locker and the last one in her dorm room."

"And? She was a gamester, isn't normal?" Isuke replied.

"Haru only found those three cards, and these were all in a place where a way to kill Suzu-san was used. In the bath it was the bomb, the locker the pain killers, and in her room the sleeping pills. Haru thinks that Suzu-san left those cards as a clue. It's like she wanted us to discover her intention."

"I see. It's quite plausible. It wouldn't be surprising that someone like Shuto-san did something like that. Even if she left this clue, it doesn't help us to discover who the true culprit is. She was ready to die just to give us this 'mystery game' like she would called it. What a terrifying gamester she was…" Hanabusa said.

"But still, we don't know who is the third possible culprit, the one who used the bomb." Nio said.

"Haru thinks that we need to recall everything that happened this evening. We must have overlooked something."

"From what I understood, Inukai-san and Shuto-san drank tea together, and Inukai-san drugged her with sleeping pills. Then she went to the public bath with a bag full of board games and Banba-san saw her. Then she barricaded the door, took a pain killer and went inside the bath. And for some reason a bomb exploded." Sumireko replied.

Haru knew that they probably missed some important event. She found it. It was the moment when the bomb was put around Suzu's neck. Haru was convinced that the order of those events could lead them to understand when it happened and who did it.

"Isuke-san, what time it was when you drank tea with Suzu-san? " Haru asked.

"It was passed 22h." Isuke replied.

"And did she have her bag with her? Was she wearing something unusual around her neck?' Haru continued.

"No, Isuke didn't see the bag in her room. But she was wearing a scarf. Isuke could have asked her why, but I didn't care. It didn't suit her though." the pink haired girl added.

"So the order of events that Hanabusa-san said is wrong. Mahiru-san saw Suzu-san with the bag before that Suzu-san went to drink tea with Isuke-san." Haru declared.

"Wait, how can ya be so sure of dat!?" Shinya asked.

"Because you said that it was Mahiru-san who saw Suzu-san, which imply that it was during daytime. Isuke-san drank tea with her during nighttime, so it's safe to assume that it happened after that Mahiru-san saw Suzu-san. "Haru began to say. "Shinya-san, did Suzu-san was wearing a scarf when Mahiru-san saw her?"

"I think that yes? I'm not sure tho. But she definitely had something around her neck." the silver haired girl replied.

"Hum, I get it now. The scarf must have been to hide the fact that she had a bomb fixed around her neck." Haru concluded. "So the bomb was put before she encountered Isuke-san and Mahiru-san. And since the bag wasn't in her room when she drank tea, she probably went to the public bath to drop it there before she went to drink tea with Isuke-san."

"Why would she let her bag in the public bath?" Nio asked.

"Haru isn't sure. Maybe she was using it to carry her cards pack and she didn't want to let Isuke-san see it? The point is, whoever put the bomb around her neck did it before that Suzu-san was seen by Mahiru-san." Haru replied.

"Who is this person? And how Shuto-san managed to make her put the bomb?" Sumireko questioned.

Haru tried to find an explanation. How Suzu could trick someone into using a bomb to kill her? The gamester must have manipulated this person, it was even possible that this person didn't even know that she would end up blowing Suzu's head. Shuto could only have tricked someone who trusted her. Almost everyone was distrustful of the gamester, except one person. And what a coincidence, this person was someone who claimed to have met Suzu today.

"Shiena-chan, why Suzu-san went to see you at the sitting room?" Haru asked.

"Huh? I already told you, she went to see if I was fine…"

"You're lying. The one who made the bomb exploded is you, isn't it?" Haru insisted.

"What? Of course not! I thought that you believe me, Ichinose!" the hacker protested.

"Wait, weren't you the one who wanted so badly to prove Kenmochi-san's innocence? Why are you accusing her now?" Isuke asked.

"Haru wanted to prove that Shiena-chan didn't try to kill Suzu-san. I still don't think that it's the case. Haru thinks that Suzu-san tricked Shiena-chan into using the bomb."

"How is that possible?" Sumireko asked. "She should have known that making the bomb exploded would kill her…"

"The only one who can explain how is Shiena-chan herself." Haru replied. "Please, Shiena-chan. I know that you didn't want to kill Suzu-san. But you need to tell us the truth. Otherwise, we won't find the truth and we could be all executed."

The brunette seemed to hesitate. Haru understood now why Shiena looked so panicked when she was accused earlier. She probably knew that she was the one who used the bomb, but not for the same reason that people thought.

"Shuto came to see me to tell me that she found a way to escape." Shiena began to say. "She said that she found a bomb and that she planned to use it to break one of the barricaded windows and allow us to leave the school. She gave me a detonator and asked me to make the bomb exploded around 22h30, to let her some times to explain the situation to others. I didn't know that the bomb was destined to be used on her, I swear! She was wearing nothing around her neck when I saw her."

"Suzu-san probably put the bomb herself around her neck after she saw you, to hide to you her true intention. But since you're the one who activated the bomb with the detonator, you're unfortunately one of the three potential culprits with Isuke-san and Suzu-san." Haru said.

"Shuto-san was more despicable than I thought. Taking advantage of someone for the sake of her sick game, I was right to doubt her." Sumireko commented.

"Hanabusa-san, we don't know for sure what were Suzu-san's intention…" Haru tried to say.

"No, she's right. Shuto betrayed me. She used me. I thought that she wanted to save us, but I was wrong. She wasn't the person I thought she was." Shiena said with a despairful expression.

Haru couldn't believe what she just heard. Shiena had lost hope into Suzu. She seemed to admire the gamester so much, but now she fell into despair by discovering that she had been tricked. But despite Suzu's manipulation, Haru still wanted to believe in her. She was convinced that Suzu must have a good reason to do what she did.

"Just…vote me as the blackened. I'm sure that neither the sleeping pill nor the pain killer had the time to make effect before that I made the bomb exploded. I must be the real culprit. So vote for me, I'm the one who should be executed…" the brunette said.

"No, that's unfair! It's Shuto-san who is responsible, she's the one we should vote for." Sumireko protested.

"Unfortunately, if it's the bomb that killed Shuto-san, then Kenmochi-san accidentally killed her. It makes her the blackened." Nio said with a gloomy expression.

"Personally Isuke doesn't care as long as you don't vote for me."

"Shuto-san…even in death she continues to toy with us. We were just pawns for her, her playthings. I'm sure she planned all of this to make it impossible to find the real culprit and cause all of us to be executed." Hanabusa said with despise.

"No, you're wrong! Suzu-san wasn't that kind of person!" Haru protested.

"Stop refusing the truth, Ichinose! Shuto was a bad person, she wanted to kill us all, this is why she did this. So stop trusting her. It would surprise me if she was the traitor…" Shiena replied.

"How can you say that!? Haru still trust Suzu-san, and I won't stop having faith in her. You should know better than anyone else what kind of person she was. Remember when we discovered that Kaminaga-san went to Suzu-san's room before her death? Well I know why now! While I investigated her room, I found a letter that Kaminaga-san wrote for Suzu-san. She was asking to become the class rep if something happen to her, she wanted her to take care of us! So stop pretending that Suzu-san wanted to kill us all! She wouldn't never dishonor Kaminaga-san's last request, and pretending that it's the case is an insult against Kaminaga-san! Haru trust both Kaminaga-san and Suzu-san, I've faith in them, this is why Haru is convinced that Suzu-san had a good reason to do all of this!"

Haru felt like her eyes were burning. She wanted to cry so much, but she couldn't. She had promise that she won't cry anymore. Shiena seemed to feel guilty for a reason that Haru couldn't be sure of. Everyone else was looking at Haru with uneased gaze.

"Ichinose-san…I know that you want to trust Shuto-san, but you need to face reality. By her actions, she condemned either Inukai-san or Kenmochi-san to be the blackened. What she did will cause an innocent person to be executed. How can you think that she could have a good reason to do that?" Sumireko replied.

Haru couldn't deny that it wasn't true. What Suzu did had 2/3 chances to cause an execution. Even if Isuke tried to kill her, Haru couldn't believe that the gamester would really want to cause her death. She couldn't believe even more that Suzu would manipulated Shiena and risked to make her the blackened. And killing herself would go against Kouko's request, since she wanted to protect everyone. There must have another explanation. Haru then had an idea. It sounded wacky, but maybe it was the truth. Rather, it was the truth that Haru wanted to believe into.

"The corpse we found…is it really Suzu-san's corpse?" Haru suddenly said.

"What? Of course it is, who else could it be? What are you trying to imply?" Shiena replied.

"I thought that maybe, it's not Suzu-san's corpse. Haru can't believe that she would have endangered both your life and Isuke's. She wouldn't have risked making one of you the blackened and be executed. This is why I believe that Suzu-san wasn't killed by any of us."

"Ichinose-san, I do respect your judgement, but this time I can't. It's too far-fetched. Do you realise that you're implying that Shuto-san is still alive?" Sumireko said.

"Or maybe she's saying that Shuto-san killed herself but tricked us into thinking that Kenmochi-san or Inukai-san could be the culprit." Nio proposed.

"No, because otherwise we would have vote for the wrong person and be all executed. Suzu-san doesn't want any of us to die, this is why she can't be dead! I don't know her goal, but she needed to fake her death to accomplish it." Haru said.

"Do you have any proof of what you're saying? And no, your 'faith' isn't enough this time." Hanabusa replied.

"I have a proof!" Tokaku suddenly said.

Everyone suddenly looked at the blue haired girl, surprised by her sudden intervention.

"Oh, really? I doubt so, but do tell." Sumireko asked with a condescending expression.

"During the investigation, I found a room with Ichinose. It was a morgue. Back then I wondered why a school needed a morgue, it's probably Monokuma who put it here. Why do you think that he put a morgue here? To keep our corpse there." Tokaku replied.

"So you're trying to say that…Shuto-san used the corpse of one of our dead classmate to fake her death? That's gross." Nio said.

"I can believe you for the morgue, but it doesn't prove that Ichinose-san is right." Hanabusa argued.

Haru was convinced that it was what happened, that Suzu used the corpse of someone who was already dead to fake her death. She was sure that the gamester wouldn't have killed or caused someone to die. She needed to find evidence to convince everyone that it was the truth, for the sake of Suzu's honor. She suddenly remembered a clue that still didn't have a clear explanation, and she understood what it was about.

"The bag!" Haru suddenly exclaimed. "The transport bag!"

"Yes, the bag filled with board games. What about it?" Sumireko asked with some impatience in her voice.

"We still don't know why Suzu-san needed it to be inside the public bath. Haru doesn't think that she wanted to play games inside the bath, and if she wanted, she wouldn't have brought so many! No, judging by the size of the bag, she must have used it to carry something else. A corpse."

"So you think that Shuto-san was carrying a corpse in this bag? Then where do those board games come from?" the lady insisted.

It was true, there was probably not enough space inside the bag to carry both the games and a corpse. Haru tried to remember what she saw in the public bath, especially the locker room, and understood what happened.

"The locked locker! Suzu-san must have hid the board games inside. Then when she arrived in the public bath, she switched the content of the bag with what was inside the locker. So she put the corpse inside the locker and the games inside the bag, to make it look like she was always carrying the board games. This explains why the locker was lock. After the body discovery, Suzu-san was probably hiding inside!" Haru explained.

"That's…kind of make sense? It could be a possibility. Very well, I'll let you continue to debate on that. And I must admit that it could be plausible for someone like Shuto-san to do such a…prank." Hanabusa replied.

"That's ridiculous!" Shiena suddenly shouted. "You really think that Shuto faked her own death? That is was just a prank? Then why are we doing a class trial? Monokuma said it himself, a class trial happens when a murder occurred. If no one died, there's no need for a class trial. So it's impossible for Shuto to have faked her death!"

"Hum, it's true. Shuto-san must be death…" Sumireko said.

"So can we vote now? For Kenmochi-san I mean." Isuke asked with a bored expression.

Haru was forced to admit that it was true. Monokuma wouldn't have made a class trial over a fake death. But still, she refused to think that Suzu really died. There must have another explanation. She then suddenly remembered some particularity with the public bath which could explain why Monokuma made a class trial.

"There's no camera inside the public bath and the locker room! So Monokuma can't know what really happened inside. He was tricked like all of us by Suzu-san!" Haru declared.

"Well, you convinced me. There's a possibility for Shuto-san to still be alive.

"What did you say you bitch!? That I was tricked like the rest of you bastards? Don't insult your headmaster, or I'll have to punish you." Monokuma yelled enraged.

Monokuma's reaction proved that he had been indeed tricked. He wouldn't be so mad if it wasn't true.

"That's stupid! Of course that Monokuma couldn't have been tricked! With all the other cameras he would have seen Shuto-san going inside the morgue to take a corpse. There must have a camera inside the morgue and in the corridor that lead to it. So it's impossible for Monokuma to be tricked!" Shiena claimed.

That was true, tricking Monokuma should be impossible. But Haru knew that if someone was able to trick him, it as to be Suzu. Haru also found it weird that Shiena was so against her theory. Did she really want the gamester to be dead? Haru suddenly understood how things could have went, which would explain the brunette's behaviour.

"What if those cameras weren't working for the period of time when Suzu-san went to take the corpse at the morgue?" Haru proposed.

"That's dumb! How those cameras couldn't work when she went there? It would be too much of a coincidence!" Shiena protested.

"If Suzu-san received some help, it's possible. She must have an accomplice." Haru replied. "Someone who could hack those cameras to prevent Monokuma from seeing what really happened."

"You…you're accusing me!? Why would I've done such a thing!?" the hacker replied aggressively.

"Haru doesn't know. You tell me. Why did you help Suzu-san to fake her death?"

"I…I didn't! What you're pretending is stupid! How Shuto could have locked herself inside the locker? The padlock was outside the locker!" Shiena replied.

"Someone else could have locked the locker. Suzu-san went inside and closed the door, and went you arrived inside the locker room after the announcement, you locked the padlock." Haru accused.

"Now I understand why it was an incendiary bomb that was used. It was to hide the fact that it wasn't Shuto's corpse." Tokaku added.

"Is it true, Kenmochi-san? You helped Shuto-san to do this prank?" Sumireko asked.

"You…you don't understand. It's not a prank, it's….argh! Ichinose, you ruined everything! We were about to win this game…Shuto is dead, whatever the reason, someone need to be executed. Just vote for me already!" the brunette yelled with a despairful expression.

Shiena grabbed her head with her hands and uttered a scream of anger. She then began to shake nervously, she even looked panicked. Haru wondered what she talking about when she said that they were about to win this game. Haru suddenly remembered something that Suzu often said: "There's more than two ways to win this game."

Haru then realised that she screwed up. This was how Suzu intended to win the game, by making it impossible for Monokuma to know who the culprit was. She wanted to force him to break his own rules, which would make him lose the game. Haru regretted to have deduced the truth, but she still wanted to fix her mistake by making Suzu's plan a success.

"Everyone…Haru was wrong. Suzu-san, she had a birthmark on her thigh. When I examined the corpse, I saw the same birthmark. So it's definitely Suzu-san's corpse. I'm sorry if I didn't tell you, it's just that I couldn't accept that Suzu-san could have bad intentions. But Haru still believe in her! I think that I understand her true intent. She wanted to cause a murder that even Monokuma couldn't know the culprit's identity. This is how she intended to win! So please, refuse to vote! Monokuma can't force you, because even he doesn't know who is the blackened. Have faith in Suzu-san and refuse to get along with Monokuma's game…"

"That's enough, Haru-san. I give up."

Haru blenched. This voice, she recognised it. She immediately looked at the coffin. The corpse began to move, to stand up. Everyone looked so shock to see what seemed to be a dead body suddenly moving.

"Ahh, a zombie!" Nio shouted.

The "corpse" went out the coffin, before grabbing the bag on her head. Slowly, she began to remove the bag. Haru was kind of nervous, remembering the state of the corpse's head. She finally removed the bag, revealing her face.

"You must be kidding me…" Isuke mumbled.

"Well, it seems that once again, Ichinose-san was right." Sumireko said.

The gamester was standing next to the coffin, her head fully intact. She looked at Haru with a disapproving gaze.

"There are four things that every good gamester can't stand. Cheaters, unfair game, sore losers and sore winners, and people who let others win by pity." Suzu said.

Even if she was the one who found out that Suzu was still alive, Haru found it hard to actually realise that she had been right. She understood why Suzu revealed herself. As a true gamester, she couldn't stand that Haru tried to lie despite knowing the truth. It was like letting her win by pity.

"Shuto…I'm sorry. I didn't succeed to make your plan a success, I'm sorry…" Shiena said tearfully.

"Don't worry, Shiena-san. You did your best. Thank you for helping me despite the risks." Suzu said with a gentle voice.

The golden eyes girl suddenly approached from Haru, gazing her with an emotionless expression. She suddenly raised her head, she was about to touch Haru. Tokaku was ready to attack, but it wasn't necessary. All Suzu did was to pat gently Haru's head. She then smiled sweetly, just like a grandmother who was proud of her grandchild.

"You did well, Haru-san. I'm happy to see that I was right about you. It's been a while since an old lady like me was beaten by a youngster in such an exciting game. But there are still a lot of things that you don't figure it out, so you can't call it a full victory." Suzu said. "So, why don't you try to find out the entire truth? You should begin with the corpse. If I'm alive, then, who's corpse did you discovered?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAKE YOUR ASSUMPTION! Who's corpse they had discovered? Why do you think so?
> 
> Suzu's talent should be SMSL Troll xD
> 
> So, since the victim wasn't really dead, how do you think this class trial will end?


	33. Chapter 4: Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Be prepare, because this chapter is despair-inducing (or really hopeful, it's up to you to discover).

"Dafuq? She's still alive!? What are ya? Immortal? " Shinya asked.

"No, she must be a zombie or a vampire! An undead creature." Nio replied seriously. "I heard that she's over 100 years old!"

"…She just faked her death using an already existing corpse…" Isuke retort.

"Ya're no fun, Inukai." the silver haired girl said.

"I wasn't joking about the over 100 years old part…" the blonde girl added.

Haru tried to ignore her classmates' remarks to focus on Suzu's riddle. If she was alive, then who's corpse did they found in the public bath? It must be the one of one of their deceased classmates, but whom?

"The corpse you used…must be the one of a person that we could mistaken for you, so with a similar body from yours." Haru began to say. "So it can't be Haruki-san and Namatame-san's corpses, since they are way taller than you."

"Is it really important to find who's corpse it was? Now that we know that nobody really died, this class trial should be over…" Isuke said.

"You really aren't the curious type, Inukai-san. Even if I'm not really dead, the mystery isn't entirely solved. If you don't find all of my tricks, this game will end in a tie." Suzu said.

"I couldn't care less…" the pink haired girl replied.

Haru thought about the other possible corpses. It was Kouko, Otoya and Hitsugi's corpses. The florist was also kind of tall, and after her execution, her body must have been in a really bad state. So it couldn't be her corpse they found. So it must be either Kouko or Hitsugi's dead bodies. Judging by the body proportion, the toxicologist was the one closer to Suzu's height. She was only slightly smaller than the gamester, while the black haired girl was at least 5 cm taller than her. But Haru didn't think that this height different was enough big to make them realised that it wasn't Suzu's corpse.

She then remembered that they both had an injury on their corpse. Hitsugi must have a scar on her hand, while Kouko was stabbed in the stomach. The corpse they found didn't have any injury other than the burned one. Haru suddenly remembered something she found weird about one of the burns and understood who's corpse it was.

"It was…Kaminaga-san's corpse, isn't it? The burn on her belly, you did it to hide the wound she has." Haru deduced.

"Yes, it's Kouko-chan's corpse that I used. But the burn on her stomach wasn't the only clue I left." Suzu replied with an enigmatic smile.

Haru felt kind of nauseous. She had a hard time to believe that the gamester really profaned the corpse of someone she seemed to like so much and in such a gruesome way.

"Really, it's Kaminaga-san's corpse? That's sick. You really don't have respect for the deceased." Sumireko commented.

"Poor class rep, to have her corpse defiled like that…" Nio added.

"It's exactly because I respect Kouko-chan that I used her corpse. I know how much she wanted to protect you all, so there was only her corpse that I could use without committing a sacrilege." Suzu explained.

Even if Haru still felt uncomfortable with what Suzu had done to Kouko's corpse, she kind of understood why she did this. Suzu did what she thought was the best thing to honor Kaminaga's request, so it made sense that she would use her corpse to fake her death. Haru suddenly remembered something she saw while investigation the locker room and understood what the other clue was.

"The locked locker…there was tights inside, a black one. Only Kaminaga-san and Takechi wore those." Haru understood.

"Yes, I voluntarily left it visible to give you a clue. Kouko-chan's clothes were hiding with me in the locker." Suzu replied.

"So if we could have opened the locker we would have discovered you inside or Kaminaga-san's corpse and your trick wouldn't have worked." Sumireko said.

"That was the point. I was letting you a fair chance to discover my plan before the class trial." the gamester replied.

"Fair chance? But the locker was locked! How could we know the combination?" Hanabusa protested.

"The fact that you didn't even understand the clue I left you is disappointing…"

Haru wondered what this other clue was. It must be something to find the padlock's combination. She then understood how obvious it was.

"The playing cards! They weren't just a way to show us the possible cause of deaths, their true purpose was to indicate us the combination!" Haru revealed.

"Huh? But you only found three cards, and it was a padlock that requires four numbers." Sumireko replied.

"Well, it's mean that I didn't found the last card." Haru concluded.

"Indeed, you didn't found it. At first when I understood that you only found three cards I was disappointed, but you still managed to find the truth. To find the last card, you would have needed to understand that I wasn't really dead." the gamester revealed.

Haru tried to understand what Suzu meant. To find the fourth card, she should have guessed first that no one died. Now that she knew that Suzu was still alive, Haru succeeded to discover where the fourth card must be hidden.

"The morgue! The only reason why we would investigated the morgue would be if we understood that the corpse wasn't yours. The fourth card must be hidden there." Haru understood.

"Congratulation! Indeed, I hid the last card where Kouko-chan's corpse initially was." Suzu confirmed.

"Wait, if those cards were really the combination, why did you choose a joker?" Nio asked.

"It represents a zero." Suzu explained.

"And how were we supposed to find the correct order?" Sumireko asked.

"Well, since you didn't found the combination and that it's my password for almost everything, I'll keep quiet on that. All I'll say is that there's a way to found the combination with something that was found in another investigation. You should recognize the numbers." Suzu replied mysteriously.

Haru tried to figure out what was the thing with the combination, in vain. But she then remembered something else that she wanted to ask to Suzu. Now that she discovered that she was alive, she could ask her the question.

"Suzu-san, your darkest secret…Haru saw it. Is that…really true?"

"You're talking about my Highlander syndrome? Yes, it's true. I'm over 100 years old because of this illness." Suzu replied.

"What!? So you really are immortal?" Nio asked.

"In the popular culture and fiction, I would be considered immortal. But in reality, the correct term would be ageless. I'm still able to die, but not from old age or sickness." the gamester responded.

"Highlander syndrome? I heard about it, but I didn't think that it was a real illness. So you are way older than I thought…" Sumireko said with what seemed to be respect.

"And it's your darkest secret? Why? Isn't nice to not age? Isuke would love to stay young forever."

"Ah, those are truly the words of a child. There's nothing pleasant to be ageless. All the people you cared about will eventually age and leave you. It would be impossible for you to remain with your family, your friends, or even your lover. If a cure would exist, I would take it without the slightest hesitation." Suzu said with a sad expression. "I used to have an important friend in the past. He was one day younger than me. So we usually joked about the fact that we would never have the same age. Unfortunately, when he realised that I couldn't age anymore, he eventually left me. It's understandable, who would want to marry a girl who would eternally looked like a teenager?"

Surprisingly, Isuke didn't get mad at her for calling a child. She even seemed to understand Suzu's pain. Haru remembered that the pink haired girl was really fond of her parents, so it was normal that she wouldn't want to lose them. Haru felt really bad for Suzu. She now understood why Kouko's death really saddened her. Suzu couldn't support to lose people she cared about anymore. Everyone else seemed also to feel some sympathy for the gamester.

"Well, enough with the depressing stuff. Haru-san, would you explain to everyone the truth? How I managed to trick everyone?" Suzu demanded. "And also my reasons to do this."

Haru understood that she must have found all the clues. It was now the time to clarify everything.

"Since no one actually died in this case, we shouldn't talk about a culprit, but an instigator. It's been a while since the instigator thought about her plan, but it must be Monokuma's fourth motive that convinced her to put her plan in action. The instigator didn't want anyone to die, but she knew that with a motive like that, a murder will surely occur. So she decided to fake her own death and tricked Monokuma into thinking that she was really dead. The instigator did this to protect us and also to "win" this game. She also took advantage of the fact that Isuke-san planned to murder her using sleeping pills.

The instigator probably knew about the morgue for a while. This is how she had the idea of using an already existing corpse. But she had a problem: the cameras. This is why the instigator needed an accomplice to hack the cameras, which is the SMSL Hacker. This is probably the reason why they met at the sitting room earlier in the evening. So, when Shiena-chan hacked those cameras, the instigator went to the morgue and stole Kaminaga-san's corpse, and left a card there. She put the corpse in a transport bag and carried it to the public bath. She was seen by Mahiru-san.

The instigator chose the public bath because of the lack of camera. She temporarily hid the corpse in a locker and put board games inside the bag, to hide the fact that she used it to carry a corpse. She then locked the locker and went back to her room, since she was supposed to drink tea with Isuke-san. She put a scarf to make it look like that she could have been wearing a bomb around her neck. The instigator left another card in her room and left after she had drank the drugged tea.

She went back to the public bath and barricaded the door with benches. The instigator then put pain killers in a locker to make it look like she could have died from an overdose and left another card. She then removed her own clothes and put them in the locker to make it looked like she intended to take a bath. The instigator retrieved Kaminaga-san's corpse and removed her clothes, before bringing her in the bath. She probably burned the wound on her stomach to hide that it was Kaminaga-san's corpse. She then put a bomb around her neck and made it exploded, before dropping the burned corpse in the water with another card. She then went back to the locker and hid herself with Kaminaga-san's clothes.

When we heard the explosion, Shinya-san destroyed the door and we went inside, to discover a faceless corpse in the bath. Since the instigator was nowhere to be found and that everyone else was alive, we assumed wrongly that it was her corpse. When she arrived in the locker room, Shiena-chan probably locked the locker where the instigator was hidden. This is why Shiena-chan wanted to stay, to change the body. When she was alone, Shiena-chan took the instigator's body, which was probably unconscious due to the sleeping pill, and put her clothes back. She then hid her head with a black bag and put her where Kaminaga-san's corpse was. She then put the corpse inside the locker and locked it, before joining us for the class trial.

And the instigator who tricked us all, including Monokuma, in order to save us and win the game was none other than you Shuto Suzu-san, the Super Middle School Level Gamester!" Haru declared.

When Haru finished explaining everything, Suzu began to clap in her hands while smiling happily.

"Wonderful, Haru-san! You completely defeated me. That was quite a pleasant game, you were a formidable opponent." the gamester said.

"Haru…didn't want to defeat you. I only did it because you asked."

"No, this is my defeat. If I have played my role better, Ichinose wouldn't have found the truth." Shiena said with regret. "And I thought that I could become the SHSL Dramatist…with my acting skills it's impossible…"

"Don't lose hope in your dream, Shiena-san. This situation had nothing to do with theater, it was reality." Suzu replied.

"Yeah, don't worry about that Shiena-chan. And Haru thinks that you were quite convincing with your acting."

"So if I get it well, you were asleep inside the locker?" Sumireko asked.

"Yes, but I think that Inukai-san didn't use enough sleeping pills, because I woke up just before the class trial began. At least I had the chance to hear all of you debating about my supposed death. It was quite entertaining." Suzu replied.

"So you stripped a corpse and Kenmochi-san saw you naked? Haha, pervs." Nio commented.

"No I'm not! I only dressed her body, that's it!" the hacker protested flustered.

"And what did you expect would happen if we didn't discover that you weren't dead?" Hanabusa asked.

"I was hoping that Monokuma would claim that whoever you voted as the culprit was the blackened. Then I would have revealed myself to be alive before the execution and prove to everyone that Monokuma lied to hide his own mistake." Suzu replied.

Haru felt relieved. For the first time, no one actually died. The victim was still alive and there was no blackened to execute. She began to think that maybe there had some hope into their despairful situation.

"Well, I guess that the class trial is over. I supposed that we can go back upstairs." Nio said.

"The hell this is over! You won't leave this place alive, you are all going to be executed you bastards!" Monokuma suddenly shouted.

Haru blenched. She forgot about Monokuma. There was no way that he would have let them have a happy ending.

"Huh? Execution? But no one died." Sumireko replied.

"That the point. My motive was that if a murder didn't occur, everyone would die. The time limit may not be over, but I changed my mind. I'm gonna kill you all for daring making a fool of me!"

Suddenly, three Monokuma teddy bears appeared from nowhere, ready to attack them. Tokaku put herself in front of Haru, ready to protect her, while the others took a defensive posture.

"What a sore loser you are, and a terrible game master. You're not happy so you want to kill us all? Well, it's you choice, but do you really want to end your game after you have been tricked so pathetically?" Suzu said with a taunting smile.

Monokuma looked like he hesitated for a moment. His teddy bears remained immobile.

"I don't want my game to end like that. Ok, I'll spare your lives this time. But I don't want this class trial to end so…hopeful. A punishment is required before that I let you leave."

"What? But that's not fair!" Shiena protested.

"It's ok. I get want he wants. I'm the one who caused all of this, which mean that he wants me to be punished. Very well, do it if you want, but you have to let the others unharmed and cancel the fourth motive." Suzu said.

"Deal. Shuto-san, you'll be punished for having made me lose my time. The others will be allowed to go back upstairs and the fourth motive will be annulled." Monokuma replied.

"Wait, no! You can't do that, nobody died! It's not fair, Suzu-san doesn't deserve this…" Haru protested.

The gamester turned back and looked at them, smiling kindly.

"It's my fault, I've to accept the consequences of my actions. I don't want to die, but I prefer this than letting you die because of me. I've lived more than 100 years, while you are all still young. I can't deprive you from your future." Suzu said sadly.

The three Monokumas suddenly surrounded Suzu. The gamester remained immobile, but fear could be seen in her golden eyes.

"Shuto-san, for having tricked your headmaster and triggered a useless class trial, you'll be punished…by detention." Monokuma declared.

"Huh, detention? It won't going to be an execution?" Suzu asked, surprised.

"Well, you didn't kill anyone, so I can't execute you."

The gamester sighed with relief.

"Well, you may be more understanding than I thought, Monoku…"

Suzu couldn't finish her sentence. One of the Monokumas suddenly punched her in the stomach. The gamester gasped in pain, but managed to remain on her feet. Another Monokumas hit her in the back, which made her fell on her knees, before that the last one kicked her in the head. Suzu's fell on the floor, inert. Some blood came from her scalp.

Haru looked at this horrified. It happened so fast, she didn't have the time to react. Two Monokumas grabbed Suzu's body and began to drag her away.

"No, leave her alone! You monsters!" Shiena yelled.

The hacker rushed toward them, with the intention of rescuing Suzu. The third Monokuma blocked her way.

"Get out of my way, you stupid teddy…"

Shiena didn't have the time to finish what she was going to say. The Monokuma showed it claws and suddenly hit her in the face. The hacker's glasses fell on the floor, broken, followed by some blood drops.

"Shiena-chan…are you alright?" Haru asked, worried.

The brunette didn't answer. She remained immobile for few seconds, before she fell on the ground. Panicked, Haru rushed toward Shiena and discovered with horror in what state she was. The hacker's face was awfully lacerated, so much blood was coming from the cuts caused by the Monokuma's claws.

"This is what you get when you try to go against my will." Monokuma declared.

The secret door opened and the Monokumas continued to drag Suzu's inert body into the secret corridor. Haru was force to witness helplessly her unconscious and injured classmate being taking to an unknown place, while she was holding Shiena's body who was in a poor state. There was only one way to describe this situation: pure despair.

"Upupu, this is what happen when you tried to fuck with me. Let that be a lesson to all of you, you'll think twice before trying to make your headmaster a fool."

 

_Survivors remaining: 8?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ships remaining: 2 (Still the same)
> 
> Bad things always happen when you speak too soon, isn't that right, Haru, Suzu? xD
> 
> I think it never happened in Danganronpa a class trial with no victim and no execution.
> 
> Trivia: Originally someone was supposed to die, and Kouko was supposed to be the culprit. But since I made Kouko the first victim, and I didn't want the original first victim to be the culprit here, I've to change this chapter. I found that it could be interesting a case were the "victim" faked her death. This is also because of this chapter that I decided to put a coffin with the corpse during the class trials.
> 
> (Outtake)
> 
> Sumireko: So I'm still the Togami of this story, right?
> 
> Suzu: if you insist. Then I'll be the Celes of this story.
> 
> Nio: So, this level of fuckery you did is way more twisted than Celes.
> 
> Suzu: Ok, fine. Then I'll the [some character in NDV3] of this story.
> 
> Author: Ok, I'll have to censor that to avoid spoiler for the new danganronpa V3 game.
> 
> I hope that you liked chapter 4, and that you didn't fall into despair enough to not continue. See you later for chapter 5!


	34. Chapter 5: Sequelae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this late update! I wanted to post it yesterday, but unfortunately, the booze got the best of me. I'll try to update tommorow too. Please enjoy the beginning of chapter 5! (or chapter 34?)

_Haru couldn't move. She was alone in a dark room, tied up to what seemed to be a metallic chair. Something heavy was pressing on her head. It shape seemed to be similar to a helmet. It was restraining Haru's head. She could only move her eyes to look around._

_Haru spotted a table. A lamp that was emitting a weak light was on the table, allowing her to see that some clothes were also on the table. When her eyes were used to the weak light, Haru recognized her own school uniform. It was her beige gilet, white shirt and marine blue skirt. However, Haru didn't feel naked. She was definitely wearing something right now._

_Suddenly, the door opened. Haru couldn't see well, but the stranger that went inside seemed to have a shiny red eye. More this person approached from her, more Haru began to be terrified. This individual was wearing a Monokuma's mask that was hiding their entire face. Haru tried to scream, but she couldn't. Something was obstructing her mouth. It was a tissue. She was gagged._

_"Ah, was a beautiful sight you are offering me. You, who is usually so optimism and enthusiastic, is now terrified and helpless. It's so pleasurable to see the faithful Ichinose Haru completely dominated by fear. But it's not fear that I want to see in your eyes. What I'm seeking is you falling into despair." the person with the Monokuma mask said._

_Their voice seemed familiar. It sound like a girl's voice, but the mask created an echo that made it impossible for Haru to determine whose voice it was. But she was sure that she knew this voice. Despite not seeing their face, Haru could guess just with the voice that her captor was probably grinning sadistically._

_Suddenly, the masked person raised their hand, to slightly stroke Haru's cheek. The red-pinkish haired girl shivered at their contact. She felt even more scared, not knowing what was is intention. In fact, Haru had no idea how she ended in this situation. But she knew that this Monokuma person wasn't good sign for her._

_"I can still see it into your eyes, that disgusting hope. When are you going to realise that hope is full of lies? Hope is always causing suffering and pain. It gives you impossible expectations that will only bring you misery. Only despair is truth. Only despair can save you. Only despair can bring you freedom. You can't feel pain if you accept and learn to enjoy despair. Don't worry, I'll save you. Since you're one of my dear classmates, I'll free you from this horrible hope that is holding you back and make you fall into a magnificent despair."_

_Haru felt even more panicked. She tried to break free, in vain. Her restrains was too solid. The masked person suddenly grabbed something that was behind the chair and Haru suddenly felt an unbearable pain in her head. It was so painful that she eventually fell unconscious. But before that she lose consciousness, she noticed the clothes that were wearing her captor._

_There was no doubt possible. This person was wearing the standard school uniform of Myojo Academy._

Haru woke up in panicked. Her body was heavily sweating due to the fear she experience in her nightmare. She was panting, while having some difficulties to realise that it had been only a dream. But it seemed so real. Haru could remember the taste of the clothes that was gagging her, the voice that gave her chills and the feel of her captor's hand slightly stroking her cheek. But it was to be a dream, otherwise she would have remembered experiencing such a tarrying situation.

"Ichinose?"

Haru turned her head. She discovered Tokaku, who was gazing her with a worried expression.

"Is something wrong?" the blue haired girl asked.

"N-No, it's nothing important. Haru just did a nightmare."

But before could go back to sleep, Tokaku softly grabbed her hand.

"You can tell me, if you want."

"I…don't really remember it. But Haru knows that if was truly terrifying." she pretended.

Haru didn't want to bother her roommate with what she considered to be just a dream. She had concluded that she had this nightmare because she was worried about what happened recently. When she recalled the event of the fourth class trial, Haru hugged the blue haired girl out of distress.

"Tokaku-san, they both…what will happen to them? Suzu-san, she was taken, and Shiena-chan, she was hurt so bad…"

"Don't worry, Ichinose. I'm sure that Shuto is still alive. If she was dead, Monokuma would have shown us the execution."

"But, she's in detention. If punishment means execution, then what about detention? She's maybe tortured somewhere…"

"If Monokuma had the intention of doing this he would have shown us this too. He must have just locked her somewhere because he now views her as a threat to him. And about Kenmochi…the cuts were deep, but it's not a serious injury. She should be fine."

After the fourth trial's end, they brought the injured hacker to the infirmary. Sumireko was the one who took care to do the first aids. At first it felt weird to see the lady being able to take care of injuries, but she explained that when she was younger she used to get injured easily so she learned how to nurse herself.

"But…she was bleeding so much…"Haru mumbled.

"There have a lot of blood's vessels in the face. If you're injured in the face you'll bleed a lot, but it doesn't mean that it's a serious wound."

"But still, Haru would have wanted…to stay with Shiena-chan."

"You needed to sleep, me too. It won't help if we stayed with her. Hanabusa is taking care of her. We could go see her tomorrow morning."

"But what if…"

Tokaku suddenly broke the hug and grabbed Haru's shoulders, before gazing her seriously in her eyes.

"You're not acting like your usual self." the blue haired girl said.

"W-What do you mean…?"

"Ichinose, you're usually so optimistic, you always have faith in everyone and you always believe in a better outcome. Don't fall for Monokuma's trap. He wants to make us fall into despair, we can't give him what he wants."

Tokaku's gaze suddenly became softer.

"You…make me feel hope. Before meeting you, I never thought that I could feel this kind of emotion. You are my hope. I don't want you to lose your hope. Please, don't let Monokuma's despair destroy your hope, because if it does, it will also destroy mine."

Haru suddenly recalled her nightmare. This person with the Monokuma masked said that they wanted to make her fell into despair. She knew that it was just a dream, but still, she also knew that it was the real Monokuma's goal. But Tokaku wanted her to believe in hope. The blue haired girl didn't give up on hope, so Haru shouldn't either. No, it wasn't quite hope. Haru had to have faith in everyone. If she still had faith in a good ending for them, she was sure that it will happen. She just had to stay optimist and believe in it.

"You're right, Tokaku-san. Suzu-san and Shiena-chan will be fine, because Haru wants to believe in it. I've faith in them, I'm sure that they will be alright." Haru said, while forcing herself to show a weak smile.

"And I believe in you, Ichinose."

This time, Haru smiled genuinely. She hugged once again Tokaku and they both laid in the bed while snuggling. Haru closed her eyes, still snuggling against Tokaku. The blue haired girl had restored her hope. Haru fell asleep, while thinking that she could still have faith into a happy ending.

* * *

Haru and Tokaku went to the infirmary after breakfast. Sumireko was still there, with Banba. Shiena was lying on the bed, seeming sleeping. Haru approached from her and discovered her face's state. The brunette had bandages that were coving almost half of the left side of her face. Her left eye and left cheek were entirely covered by the bandages.

"How…how is she?" Haru asked.

"Her condition is stable. Her life shouldn't be in danger." the lady answered.

"So you really took care of her injuries, alone?" Tokaku asked with an incredulous look.

"Well, I did the first aids to stop the bleeding, but the one who really nursed her is Banba-san."

Both Haru and Tokaku suddenly gazed at Banba with perplexed glances. The silver haired girl looked away shyly.

"Mahiru-san…you have skills in nursing?" Haru asked, intrigued.

"Ah, I…I'm good in sewing. That's all." Mahiru answered.

It took few seconds for Haru to understand what it meant.

"You mean…you had stitches her wounds?" Haru asked.

Banba weakly nodded. A smile that looked proud and slightly disturbing appeared on Sumireko's lips.

"Isn't Banba-san wonderful? She's able to use her talent as a seamstress for other purpose than simply sewing. She has so much potential." the lady praised.

The silver haired girl seemed both happy and embarrassed by Hanabusa's compliment. Haru turned her attention toward Shiena, still worried about her state.

"Why is she still unconscious?" Haru asked.

"I gave her morphine. It would have been bad if she had waked up when Banba-san was stitching her." Sumireko answered. "She should wake up eventually."

"And is she…going to have sequelae?"

"Well, sadly, the Monokuma that injured her severely damaged her left eye. Kenmochi-san lost her eye. There's two deep cuts on her face, these will probably leave permanent marks." the lady replied.

When Haru was about to make a comment about how unfortunate it was for Shiena to be scarred, she suddenly remembered that Mahiru had a scar on her face and decided to not say it.

"So Shiena-chan is now one-eyed? Forever?" Haru asked.

"Yes. We're not enough advances in medicine to replace a lost eye. But maybe a robotic eye could work, who knows." the lady replied.

Haru suddenly feel an unpleasant feeling. It wasn't just a scar that Shiena had, she lost one of her eye, she became half-blind, an injury that will be permanent. Haru had the disagreeable feeling that it was somehow her fault.

"Well, we'll pass on the baton to you. We stayed all night to watch over, we need to sleep now. Would you be fine to stay with her until she woke up?" Sumireko asked.

"Yes, of course. We'll watch over Shiena-chan. You can go." Haru replied.

"Good. Banba-san, would you mind coming with me? There's something that I need to show you."

"Ah, huh…yes…" Mahiru replied quietly.

Sumireko and Banba both left the infirmary, leaving the rest to Haru and Tokaku. Haru sat on a stool near the bed and watched the hacker sleep. She couldn't stop focusing on the bandage on her eye. Haru couldn't help herself from still thinking that she was responsible for Shiena's current state. After all, if she hadn't have found out Suzu's trick during the last class trial, none of that would have happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Shiena's eye. RIP Suzu's screentime. At least this time it isn't Shiena who've lost her screentime.
> 
> It's me or every chapter's first chapter (wut?) began with TokaHaru shipping moment? xD
> 
> So what happened to poor Suzu obaa-chan? You'll find out...eventually.


	35. Chapter 5: Hope and Dream

It was now lunch time and Haru still didn't leave Shiena's side. The brunette still haven't woken up. Despite Tokaku's insistence to go eat, Haru refused to let Shiena alone. After few minutes of arguing, they finally achieved a compromise. Haru will stay with the hacker while the blue haired girl will go search food. But, Haru had to lock the infirmary's door, for her own safety. Tokaku didn't believe that Shiena could be a threat for Haru, not in her current state.

As soon as Tokaku left the room and closed the door behind her, Haru rose up to go locking it. After, she returned to the stool, Haru noticed that something was moving under the bed's blanket. It took her few seconds to realise that it was the brunette's left hand.

"Shiena-chan?" Haru called.

She saw the hacker's eyelid stirred, before her valid eye suddenly opened. Despite her eye being opened, Shiena didn't look quite awake. The brunette was looking at the ceiling with an empty gaze, which worried Haru.

"Shiena-chan?!" she called again.

This time, Shiena slightly blenched. It was like she just woke up. She weakly turned her head to gaze at Haru with her only eye.

"Ichinose…? What…? What happened?" the brunette asked with confusion.

"You…you were injured by one of the Monokuma teddy bears. You're in the infirmary." Haru replied.

"Injured? Is it…serious? Hey, why can't I see you well? What's blocking my sight…?"

While asking this question, Shiena raised her hand and slightly touched the bandage over her wound. Haru felt a twinge in her heart.

"What is that? What happened to my face, my eye…?" Shiena insisted.

"It's…the scratch. The Monokuma's claws severely injured your left eye, you…lost it. I'm sorry Shiena-chan, but you're one-eyed now, and it will probably leave a scar." Haru answered sadly.

Shiena looked shock for a moment. She stroked the bandages with a sad expression, before sighing.

"I see, so I'm disfigured now…"

"I'm so sorry, Shiena-chan."

"Why are you apologies? It could have been worse. At least I'm still alive…"

Suddenly, the brunette showed a panicked expression.

"Where's Shuto? Don't tell me she were…executed…!?"

"No, she…was taken by Monokuma. I don't know where she is, all I know is that she's in 'detention'."

Shiena continued to appear to be panicked for few more seconds, until she finally calmed herself.

"I remember now what happened. Those Monokumas attacked Shuto and captured her. I tried to stop them, and one of them injured me. I don't know what detention means in this psycho's head, but one thing is sure. Shuto is still alive."

"What…makes you so sure of this?" Haru asked.

"If Monokuma really wanted to kill her, he wouldn't do it in private, he would have shown us like he did with all the previous executions. And those Monokumas intention was really clear. They didn't attack Shuto with the intent of killing her, but to knock her down. The fourth class trial proved to Monokuma that Shuto was a serious threat for his plan, but since he wants to follow his own rules in front of us, he couldn't kill her. So he locked her somewhere to prevent her from ruining his plan."

Haru was surprised to see Shiena acting so calmly. She was able to think rationally despite the dramatic events that happened recently.

"You…you seem so calm despite all that happened to you." Haru commented.

"It would be pointless to whine about things that I can't change. But it's true that I'm feeling unnaturally calm right now…"

"It must be the morphine. Hanabusa-san gave some to you when you were unconscious."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because she didn't want you to wake up when Mahiru-san was taking care of your injuries. Hanabusa is the one who did first aids, and Mahiru-san did the stitches."

"Stitches? Hum, it looks like Banba is not only good to sew clothes, but also skin. As expected of the SMSL Seamstress. But it's surprising for an oujo-sama such as Hanabusa to be able to do first aids. First it was her passion for cooking and now it's her nursing skills. She definitely a girl with a lot of secrets huh…"

"Do you feel pain?" Haru suddenly asked.

"No. But I suppose that as soon as the morphine stop having effect, my face will hurt. And maybe I'll be less calm."

The unpleasant feeling that Haru felt not so long ago suddenly reemerged in her mind.

"Shiena-chan, I'm sorry."

"Uh? You keep apologizing, but I still don't understand why."

"Because…it's all Haru's fault. You said it yourself. If Haru hadn't discovered the truth, you'll have won over Monokuma. It's because of Haru's deduction if Suzu-san was abducted and if you lost your eye. Because of me, you're now half-blind forever, and maybe Suzu-san is suffering something worse than death!"

When Haru felt that tears were about to fall from her eyes, she closed them immediately in an attempt to not cry. She couldn't help herself from feeling regret and guiltiness over what happened during the fourth class trial. She was so obstinate to find out the truth that she didn't think about the consequences, about how it could affect others. Because of her, two of her classmates had been hurt, something that she couldn't forgive herself.

Suddenly, she felt something grabbing her arm. Haru opened her eyes and discovered that it was Shiena. The brunette was gazing at her with a severe look.

"Don't you dare say that! Yes, you actions caused my injury and Shuto's abduction, but if you regret your actions, all of this will be in vain. Shuto and I did what we thought to be the right thing, and so do you. The three of us did what we think was the best for everyone sake, so don't you dare regret it. You couldn't know what would happen, and neither does us. I accepted to assist Shuto in her plan because I believed that it could save everyone. Why did you expose her trick, Ichinose?"

"I…Haru did it for everyone sake. Because I thought that if I didn't find the truth, everyone would have been executed. I didn't understand what Suzu-san's true purpose was. If I've figured it out sooner, I wouldn't have interfered with your plan."

Shiena suddenly released her arm. The brunette then showed a smile that seemed genuine.

"You see? You had good intentions. You couldn't know, so you did what you think was the best for everyone's sake. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened, Shuto and I also have our share of responsibility in what happened. We took a big risk by doing all of this without telling anyone. We tried to trick you all. Even if we had good intentions too, we can't blame you for revealing our trick into those circumstances. So don't feel guilty oven this."

Even if she still felt bad for what happened to Shiena and Suzu, Haru felt slightly less guilty thanks to the brunette's words.

"And Shuto knew that it would be dangerous for her, she was expecting something like that could happen to her, but she still decided to do it. Shuto is not someone who will surrender to despair, and neither do I! If we keep having hope, Monokuma will never win."

"Hope? Despite all that happened, you still have hope?" Haru asked.

"Of course! Monokuma can steal my freedom, my dignity, my eye, but he'll never have my hope! There's no way that despair will win against hope!"

Haru was surprised to hear Shiena talking about hope like that. She seemed so sincere about hope, just like Tokaku yesterday. Haru wondered how they could remain so hopeful while she herself found it hard to not fall into despair. The only thing that Haru was able to do was to have faith.

"Haru thinks that it's great that you can still have hope despite everything that happened. Haru wishes that she could be like you…"

"What are you saying, Ichinose? You're the most optimist person that I have never met. I always thought that it was impossible to make you fall into despair. I can see it into your eyes, your hope. It's so shiny, this is where your faith come from I'm sure. So don't doubt your own hope, Ichinose. Otherwise, Monokuma will use it at his advantage to infect you with his disgusting despair."

Haru did want to have hope. But she was scared that if she hoped too much, she'll eventually be affected by despair. But what Shiena told her kind of reassure her and encourage her to trust hope again.

"You really are a hopeful person, Shiena-chan."

"Of course I am. I aim to attend Hope's Peak Academy after all. I can't allow myself to fall into despair."

"It's why you accepted to attend Myojo Academy, right? To have more chance to be accepted at Hope's Peak?"

"Yes. But as you already know, I don't want to be known as the SHSL Hacker. I want to become the SHSL Dramatist. I only accepted the title of SMSL Hacker because I want to show my skills and passion for theater. I was hoping that Hope's Peak will recognize my talent as a dramatist and gave me the title I dream of. This is why I won't lose to despair, I'll escape this place and go to Hope's Peak Academy as the SHSL Dramatist."

"So this is where your hope comes from. But why do you want to go to Hope's Peak so much? Just to have this title?" Haru asked.

"No. Not so long ago, I almost fell into despair. I was…bullied. I came to think that it was my fault, that I deserved it…but someone gave me hope into a better life. This person made me understand that it wasn't my fault. I want to show everyone who made fun of me that they didn't succeed to make me fall into despair, I want to show them proudly that they didn't stole my hope! If I become a Hope's Peak student, they'll be forced to acknowledge their mistakes. I want to make my dream a reality, and nothing will be more fitting that the SHSL Dramatist's title."

Haru could see sparkles into Shiena's eye when she was talking about her dream and hope. It was beautiful to see. But Haru also felt sad for her. She had a doubt that the brunette had been bullied, but at least it didn't seem to have affected her negatively. It was kind of sad that it was such a dramatic event that gave Shiena hope, but at least it didn't make her fall into despair.

Suddenly, the hacker clenched her fist, showing an expression that seemed to be of anger and hatred.

"But Monokuma…he dares to pretend to be Hope's Peak Academy's headmaster. He insults what Hope's Peak means, I can't forgive him. What he did to all of us is unforgivable, and it's even more disgusting that he did all of this in the name of despair. He's worse than a bully, I'll defeat him, my hope will crush him, I'll find his mole and…save everyone. And when I'll escape, I'll use my plays to give hope to people and eradicate despair…"

Haru felt uneased with Shiena's sudden erratic behaviour. She was talking about hope in such a positive way not so long ago and now she was talking about it like it was some kind of weapon.

"Shiena-chan, are you…"

Suddenly, the brunette grabbed her face and showed a pained expression.

"Argh…, my face…it hurts…"

"Shiena-chan!"

"It's his fault…it's Monokuma's fault! This coward couldn't accept his lose, he hurt me and Shuto over his petty pride! I will never forgive him, I'll never forgive despair, I'll….ARGH!"

Shiena's words became moans of pain. The morphine must have lost it effect. The brunette was now feeling pain and had lost her calmness. Haru rose up and began to desperately try to find something to ease her sufferance. She finally found morphine tablet and took one of the pills and brought it to Shiena.

"Shiena-chan, take this! It will ease your pain…"

"No! I can't be drugged anymore, I need to go back to my laptop, I need to find the traitor…"

In her current state, Haru knew that it was dangerous for the brunette to leave the infirmary. Plus she was clearly in a state of panic. So she did what she thought was the best for Shiena's sake, she couldn't stand to just watch her friend suffering without doing something. Haru grabbed her jaw and forced her mouth to open, before shoving the pill inside, the deepest she could. She then forced the brunette to close her mouth and restrained her to open it.

"It's for your own good, just swallow the pill and you'll feel better." Haru said.

Shiena tried to struggle, but in her actual state she was weaker than Haru. She finally gave up and Haru could hear her swallowed the pill. When she was sure that the brunette had swallow, Haru released her mouth. Shiena fell on the bed, seeming to calm herself. After few minutes, the morphine seemed to have taken effect.

"Shiena-chan? Are you alright?"

"I…I feel tired. I think that I didn't sleep enough."

"Don't hesitate to go back to sleep. You need some rest if you want to get better. Do you need anything? Are you hungry, thirsty…?"

"No, I'm fine…maybe later. I would like potato chips later…"

Shiena close her eye. She seemed to have fallen asleep. Haru sighed in relief and rose up. She returned to the morphine tablet bottle and closed it.

"…the queen…"

Haru blenched and turned back.

"Shiena-chan?"

"The queen…all of this happened…because of the Queen."

Suddenly, silence. Shiena wasn't awake, she was talking in her sleep. Haru suddenly felt nervous.

" _Queen? Does she means…how did she know…the USB keys?!_ " Haru thought with panic.

Somebody suddenly knocked at the door, interrupting Haru's thoughts.

"Ichinose, it's me. You can unlock the door."

When she heard Tokaku's voice, Haru immediately headed to the door and opened it. The blue haired girl went inside, holding two sandwiches in a bag.

"You seem exhausted. Did something happen?" Tokaku asked.

"Ah, no! I'm just…hungry."

Haru hesitated to tell her that Shiena had temporally waked up. She was also too confused by what the brunette had said in her sleep to think about something else.

Suddenly, a ring noise resounded in the school, followed by a voice that wasn't a good sign.

"Hello everyone! Please for those who aren't there, come to the cafeteria. You dear and lovable headmaster has an announcement for you! I'm sure you'll all love what I'm about to tell you!" Monokuma's voice said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With Haru, you better swallow (I'm sorry...)
> 
> Still no Suzu. So despairful.


	36. Chatper 5: Treasure hunt

When Haru and Tokaku arrived at the cafeteria everyone was already there. Well, with the exception of Suzu and Shiena. Monokuma was also there, on one of his usual screen.

“The two latecomers are finally here! It was high time…wait! Where’s Kenmochi-san? I know she’s kinda forgettable, but still, I asked everyone to come here…” Monokuma said.

Haru suddenly felt a vivid anger when he pronounced the brunette’s name.

“Don’t play innocent! Did you really think that Shiena-chan will come after what you have done to her!?” Haru replied.

“Huh? Come on, it was just a little scratch, how weak can she be…” Monokuma said.

“She lost an eye!” Haru shouted furiously.

An uneased silence took place. Nio and Isuke looked both surprised, they didn’t know until now about the gravity of Shiena’s injury. Suddenly, Monokuma smiled in a taunting way.

“Well, she’s not fully blind, isn’t she? Then, she had no reason to not come here. If she has at least one valid eye it should be enough.”

Haru felt even more infuriated by Monokuma’s comments. She was about to yell her frustration at him, but she restrained herself. She knew that he was trying to provoke her, that she shouldn’t play his mind game. With a lot of effort, Haru was able to retain her temper and calmed herself.

“Unfortunately, Shiena-chan is currently on morphine. It’s impossible for her to be here.” Haru replied with cold-blood.  

“Uh, I see. Well, it’s not like her presence will change something anyway, she won’t be missed. And she had been undisciplined recently, naughty children don’t deserve to participate to fun event.” Monokuma said.

“Fun…event? What do you mean?” Sumireko asked.

“Aw, don’t play dumb, you know what I meant. I’m talking about the fifth motive, you bastards!”

Haru felt nauseous. The nightmare wasn’t over. The fourth class trial ended not so long ago and despite that Monokuma was already ready to make them kill each other again. It was too much for Haru, she couldn’t bear with it.

“You must be kidding me…how can you!? You really don’t have a heart…” Haru mumbled.

“Of course I have a heart, I wouldn’t never be so mean with you, my dear students. This time, the motive will be different. I’m not gonna tell you what it is, you’ll have to find it in this very own school.”

Everyone became momentarily quiet, gazing at each other with unsure glances.

“Don’t fuck with us! Why would we voluntarily search for something that could be a motive to kill?” Isuke protested.

“The motive isn’t only one thing. They are plenty clues scattered inside the school. Some of them are there since the beginning, like the book you found, and others were added recently, like the missing pages. Some clues could be motives to kill, and some are just information that you could need, or things about the outside world and you relatives, and even your missing classmate…Oh and a way to escape is also hidden here.” Monokuma explained.

“Wait, so you mean…if we search we could find a way to escape, or to find...a motive to kill.” Haru concluded.

“That’s exact! This is the Fun and thrilling Treasure Hunt of Monokuma! A treasure hunt where you’ll either find hopeful clues or despairful clues. So what are you waiting for, you bastards? Those clues won’t find by themselves! Upupu.”

* * *

 

The first two places that Haru had went to search was the morgue and the locker room. She didn’t have the time to go there with all that happened, but now was the best opportunity to do it. Firstly, she had search inside the morgue to find the last card. There weren’t any playing card there. The mastermind must have got rid of it. Kouko’s corpse was also there, which explained why the locked locker in the locker room wasn’t locked anymore. The padlock had been broken and the locker was now empty, which was probably Monokuma’s doing.

The only reasons why Haru accepted to participate into the treasure hunt was to either find a way to escape and save everyone, or to find Suzu. Even if she found a motive to kill, Haru knew that she would never commit murder. However, she was kind of worried about the others. What if someone else came across one of those clues, a murder could occur again…

“ _No! I can’t have those kinds of negatives thoughts. Haru needs to have faith in her classmates!_ ”

But despite her resolution to have faith in everyone, Haru couldn’t help herself from being worried. This is why she was in a hurry to find the clues she was looking for, to prevent a possible murder to happen.

Isuke also seemed kind of eager to search for clues. Haru knew that it was probably because she was worried what she could find about her parents. Sumireko seemed rather intrigued by the treasure hunt, while Banba and Nio looked pretty much indifferent.

The third place where Haru investigated was Suzu’s dorm room. She thought that maybe she was hiding there, but it wasn’t the case. But, when Haru search inside the closet, she found a locked strongbox with a four digit padlock. Since she didn’t have the combination, Haru didn’t try to open it.

After, Haru and Tokaku went inside the sewing club room and inspected the room. After few minutes of searching, Haru found a piece of paper glued under the table. She took it and discovered what it was.

“It’s…Mahiru-san’s student profile!” Haru exclaimed. “Banba Mahiru, student #12, 158cm, SMSL Seamstress…and no mention of Shinya-san.”

“The page was hidden in a club that was reflecting her talent. So it could be the same for the other missing pages.” Tokaku concluded.

“The missing pages are mine, Hanabusa-san and Nio. Haru doesn’t think that a Lucky or Lady clubs existed.”

“Hum, that’s true. But I’m sure that we can find Hashiri’s profile in the trash room.”

“Tokaku-san…”

“I was joking. According to Kenmochi, it’s possible that Hashiri wasn’t the original #10 student, which make it even more complicated to find this student profile.”

“Shiena-chan…she would have liked to participate into this treasure hunt.”

“She would have probably been obsessed with finding the traitor, like usual.” Tokaku replied. “Ichinose, I think we are done with this room. Let’s go investigate the other club rooms.”

Haru agreed and they both left to check on the other clubs. They didn’t find any student profile. The last club they didn’t investigate was the art club room. When they went inside, they discovered that it wasn’t empty.

“Oh, isn’t Ichinose-san and Azuma-san. Did you find anything remotely interesting?” Sumireko asked.

The lady was inside the art club room, holding what seemed to be a piece of paper, in the company of Banba.

“We found Mahiru-san’s student profile, but all the information in it was mostly things that we already know.” Haru replied. “Haru found it in the sewing club room.”

She gave the page to the silver haired girl and went near Sumireko and whispered to her.

“So, earlier, did you gave her…the you know what?” Haru asked.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself? Banba-san, show to Ichinose-san what I gave you.”

Mahiru took out something from her pocket. Haru recognised the strap that Hanabusa had made.

“Hanabusa-san…gave me…this. It’s a…beautiful relic. But it’ll be even more beautiful…when it will be holy.” the seamstress mumbled.

Banba was slightly blushing. Haru thought that it was because she was happy, but she then noticed that something felt wrong about her. Mahiru’s gaze seemed kind of…demented. Sumireko didn’t seem to have noticed. Haru began to think that she may be had imagined that.

“What about you? Did you find something relevant?” Tokaku asked.

“Maybe. Say, Ichinose-san, you said that you title was SMSL Lucky Student, right?” Hanabusa asked.

“Yes, I said that…why? Could it be…the paper you are holding is my student profile!?” Haru exclaimed.

Sumireko showed her the paper. Since the page was bent in two, Haru could only saw the picture. But it was well enough to confirm to her that it was indeed her student profile.

“Can I have it?” Haru asked.

“No. I found it, so it’s mine.” the lady replied with a cold smile.

Haru didn’t insist, but still, Sumireko’s behaviour seemed somewhat odd, like she was distant. Haru wasn’t sure why.

“Well, we’ll let you investigate this room, we’ll take our leave. Let’s go, Ichinose.” Tokaku suddenly said.

They both left the art club room. Haru was still kind of confused about Sumireko’s sudden coldness toward her.

Haru and Tokaku went inside a classroom, where they discovered Isuke. The pink haired girl was holding a folder, reading with a dismayed expression the documents inside.

“Isuke-san, what is it?” Haru asked.

The kick-boxer raised her head and looked at them with a bothered expression.

“Oh, it’s just you.” Isuke said. “These are just newspaper clippings, but they don’t seem to be…accurate.”

“Can I see them?” Haru asked.

“Sure, if you want to lose your time with this bullshit.” the pink haired girl replied while handing her the folder.

Haru took the folder and put it on a desk, before opened it. The newspaper clippings were mostly about strange incidents that would have happened at Myojo Academy, like disappearance of students, and some more disturbing events like violent battles, aggressions, and even murders.

“How is this possible…so many horrible things happened at Myojo…?” Haru mumbled.

“Like I told you, those are nonsense. There’s no way that such events happened at Myojo Academy, we would have heard about this sooner.” Isuke commented.

Haru read another clipping and was shocked to learn what it was about.

“Twelve Class Black’s students mysteriously…disappeared. According to the police’s investigation, it was most likely a kidnapping… the police first thought that it could be the doing of other students due to the current bitterness against the gifted, but since Mizorogi Ataru, the Class Black’s teacher, also disappeared, he became the prime suspect in this case…” Haru read.

“But, those students…it’s us, right?” Tokaku reacted.

“What!? But we didn’t even officially start attending Myojo and we are already kidnapped?! What the hell!? It must be this creep, Mizorogi, who’s Monokuma! It’s what Nerdy said the other day.” Isuke exclaimed.

 “Wait…you said twelve? Weren't we thirteen at the beginning?” the blue haired girl said.

“There’s a list of the missing students…and it’s our names. We seem all in the list…” Haru replied.

“Let me see.” Tokaku asked.

Haru gave her the clipping newspaper and the blue haired girl read it.

“One of us is not in the list. I don’t see Hashiri’s name.” Tokaku said.

“What, really? Let me see!” Isuke replied before she tears the clippings away from her.

While the pink hair girl was reading the clipping, Haru found another one in the folder. This one was even more disturbing.

“Due to the multiples riots, Myojo Academy’s chairwoman, Yuri Meichi, has decided to shut down the school and barricaded all the exits with the remaining students still inside. Myojo Academy has been converted into a shelter.” Haru read.

“Well, that explained the barricaded windows. But why? Which riots?” Tokaku wondered.

“Isn’t it obvious? The chairwoman must be an ally of Monokuma! She must be the one who trapped us here, and her accomplice must be…Nio. It can only be her. She’s a Myojo’s student and she’s not on the missing Class Black’s students list. That damn midget! Isuke is going to make her talk…”

“Wait! It’s too soon to accuse Nio, maybe the clipping newspaper didn’t mentioned her name because she wasn't a Class Black’s student at that time…” Haru began to say.

But it was too late, Isuke had already left the classroom. Haru wanted to pursue her because she was worried about Nio’s safety, but Tokaku stopped her.

“Don’t interfere, Ichinose. If she doesn’t want to risk an execution, she won’t kill Hashiri.”

With resignation, Haru obeyed. They both left the classroom and began to walk into the corridor, until the blue haired girl suddenly stopped walking.

“Tokaku-san, is something wrong?”

“This door…the lock is outside. It’s kind of strange. Remember when Takechi locked me inside the storage room? She took advantage of that kind of door.”

“So you think that…something is hidden inside?”

“Rather _someone_ could be locked inside.”

Immediately after that Tokaku said that, Haru grabbed the handle. She understood what the blue haired girl meant. When she tried to open the door, Haru noticed that it was indeed locked. She unlocked the door and opened it.

It was another classroom. All the desks and chairs were pushed in the back, except one chair. Someone was sitting on it, their hands tied together in their back. This person was also wearing a black bag on their head. Haru immediately recognized the clothes.

“…Suzu-san?” Haru called.

The person didn’t answer. She was immobile on the chair. Haru began to be worried. She rushed toward the person and grabbed the bag and hesitated to remove it. She suddenly remembered Kouko’s burned corpse and was scared to discover Suzu in the same state. She took a deep breath to calm herself and finally removed the bag.

Besides a plaster on her forehead, Suzu’s head seemed intact. The gamester’s eyes were closed, like she was asleep. But still, even if she looked fine, Haru was still worried. Tokaku approached from Suzu and slightly touched her neck.

“She has a pulse. She’s alive.” the blue haired girl declared.

Haru sighed with relief. Suddenly, Tokaku slightly slapped Suzu in the face.

“Shuto! Wake up! It’s not the time to sleep.”

“Tokaku-san!”

Slowly, the Suzu opened her eyes. She looked around, looking confused. She seemed even more dismayed when she realised that she was tied up.

“Haru-san, Azuma-san…? Can you tell me why I’m tied up?”

Haru suddenly hugged Suzu out of relief and happiness.

“Hum, Haru-san, it’s not that I dislike this sudden mark of affection, but it would be better if you untie me first.”

“I’ll do it.” Tokaku replied.

The blue haired girl went behind Suzu and tried to untie her, in vain.

“It’s a noose…I can’t untie the rope. Well, I’ll have to cut it.”

Tokaku took out her knife and freed Suzu. But, Haru was still hugging the gamester. When she felt arms touching her back, she knew that Suzu hugged her back.

“It’s ok, Haru-san. Don’t worry anymore, I’m fine.” the gamester said softly.

Haru suddenly felt a gentle pat on her head. Suzu gave off such a warm vibe, she was acting so motherly…no, she was acting more like a sweet granny. Maybe it was because of her old age.

“Sorry to interrupt you but where were you all this time, Shuto?” Tokaku suddenly asked.

Haru had to break the hug to allow the gamester to rise up.

“All this time? Weren’t the class trial yesterday?” Suzu replied.

“Yes, but you disappeared for almost a day! And you were in ‘detention’, so Haru was worried sick about you.”

“Ah, I see. Hum, after that the little Monokumas attacked me, I woke up first in what seemed to be a cell. I stayed there for couple of hours, and then…I fell asleep I think, and woke up tied up here.”

“So you weren’t being tortured in a torture dungeon?” Haru asked.

“Haha, no. It was just a regular dungeon.”

Haru was relieved. She was so afraid that the golden eyed girl might be suffering somewhere.

“So…what happened during my absence?” Suzu asked.

“If you want to know if a murder occurred, it’s not the case. Kenmochi is still at the infirmary, and Monokuma revealed the fifth motive. It’s some kind of treasure hunt to find information about the outside world…”

“Wait…Shiena-san is in the infirmary? Why?”

Haru remembered that when the hacker was injured by a Monokuma, Suzu was already unconscious. So it was normal that she didn’t know about the brunette’s state. Haru hesitated to tell the truth for few seconds, before finally say it.

“When you were taken by the Monokumas, Shiena-chan tried to stop them…and she ended up injured…”

Haru could see regret in Suzu’s eyes, but the gamester remained quiet. Haru understood that she must felt guilty for that, since Shiena was hurt by trying to protect her.

Haru suddenly recalled the treasure hunt. Maybe an important clue was hidden here. She began to look around. The room looked like a regular classroom, except for all the desks and chairs that were in the back, near an air vent. Haru approached from the teacher’s desk and search inside. The only thing she found was a screwdriver.

“ _What a weird place to keep something like that._ ” she thought.

Haru put the tool back where she found it and recoiled.  

“Ichinose, stop!” Tokaku suddenly warned.

Haru immediately stopped walking. The blue haired girl approached from her and suddenly crouched on the floor, retrieving a small object.

“It’s a screw. If you had step on it, you could have injured your foot.” Tokaku said.

“Oh, you’re right. Thanks Tokaku-san!”

Haru continued her searching. She went back to the chair where Suzu was tied up and examine it. It seemed to be just a normal chair. She then looked at the rope. Because of Tokaku, it was cut in half. But by examined it more, Haru could see a node in it, like the rope had been already cut once and tied back together.

"Attention everyone! This is the Body Discovery Announcement. A body has been discovered in the infirmary. You're invited to go there for more information."

Haru blenched. It couldn’t be possible. Somebody died? In the infirmary?

“Oh no, Shiena-chan!”

She could see that Suzu was also chocked by the announcement. The three of them left the classroom and rushed toward the infirmary. It didn’t take them too long to arrive since the two rooms were in parallel with each other in opposite corridors.

The three of them went inside the infirmary. Isuke, Sumireko and Banba were already there. Haru spotted Shiena lying on the bed. She looked unharmed. And then, she looked at the floor and noticed blood. Nio was lying on the floor, her throat sliced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, somebody finally took out the trash...I'm sorry.


	37. Chapter 5: Clues hunt

Haru felt a certain dizziness when she was looking at Nio's corpse. It felt so unnatural, like it was all just a dream. But Haru knew that it couldn't be the case, that it must be the truth. She had to accept this as the reality, Nio had been murdered. By one of them. Monokuma suddenly appeared on his usual screen.

"I see that everyone's here. You're free to continue the treasure hunt if you want, but don't forget to investigate too. Well, you can do both at the same time. Since you'll maybe run out of time for investigating, I'll give you a clue, what a nice and generous person I am. I'll confirm right now the victim and the cause of death. The one who died is Hashiri Nio, and she was killed by a deep cut on her throat that caused her to bleed to death. There's no other injury on her body, so don't lose your time too much investigating the corpse and start searching for other clues. So, good luck, see you later at the class trial!" Monokuma said before disappearing from the screen.

With what he said, Haru was even more forced to face reality. Even Monokuma confirmed Nio's death. Suddenly, another worry appeared on her mind. What about Shiena? Haru rushed toward the brunette to check her state. The hacker was still asleep, unharmed. There wasn't a single drop of blood on her.

"She's sleeping." Haru mumbled.

"Huh? You mean…she remained asleep while someone was getting murdered just near her?" Isuke commented.

"Well, she's drugged on morphine, so it's possible." Sumireko replied.

"Anyway, who are the three people who discovered the corpse?" Tokaku asked.

"I wanted to check on Kenmochi-san with Banba-san, but when we arrived the door was locked." Hanabusa began to explain.

"Then Isuke arrived and drop kicked that goddamn door." the pink haired girl added.

"…yes. And then we discovered the corpse, and you arrived couple of minutes later." the lady finished.

Suddenly Sumireko, Isuke and Banba turned to face Suzu, gazing at her with a shocked expression.

"Wait…since when Shuto-san is here?" the kick-boxer questioned.

"Haru and Tokaku-san found her locked inside a classroom."

"Oh, so Monokuma wasn't lying." Sumireko commented.

The gamester didn't pay attention to them and went to Shiena's side. Despite her emotionless expression, Haru was sure to see what seemed to be guiltiness into Suzu's eyes.

"Her face…what's the extent of the damage?" Suzu asked with a cold tone of voice.

"She…she lost an eye…" Mahiru replied. "And it will most likely leave a….scar…."

"I see. How unfortunate…" Suzu said sincerely, before looking stoic. "Well, let's investigate. Since Monokuma already confirmed the cause of death, we can investigate other clues."

"Oh my, how cold of you. But I do agree that we need to focus on the investigation." Sumireko said.

"Well, Isuke will leave you investigated this room. Corpses are yucky so Isuke will take her leave."

The pink haired girl left the infirmary. Haru began to look around for clues. She had difficulties to look at Nio's corpse. Each time she watched it, she felt an uncomfortable feeling.

"H-Hey, look at this…!" Banba suddenly said.

They all went to where Mahiru was, to discover what she was trying to show them. It was a bloody scalpel.

"It…was hidden…inside of the washcloth…in the washbasin." the silver haired girl added nervously.

Haru approached from the washbasin. There was indeed a washcloth that was tainted with blood drops in it.

"If this bloody scalpel was hidden in this washcloth, it could indeed be the murder weapon." Sumireko said.

"The culprit must have hid it there, she was probably in a hurry to have hide it in such an obvious way." Suzu added.

"Hum, what is this thing doing there?" Tokaku suddenly said.

Curious, Haru joined the blue haired girl, who was near the infirmary's bed. There was some kind of metallic plate under the bed. Tokaku took it, allowing Haru to see clearly what it was.

"Isn't it an air vent grid?" Haru questioned.

"It looks like…but why is it under the bed?" Tokaku wondered.

Haru suddenly looked around and find an air vent in the back of the room and noticed that the grid was missing.

"Well, it doesn't seem to have any more clues here. We should leave and split up. Banba-san will come with me, Ichinose-san and Azuma-san can stay together, and Shuto-san…" Sumireko began to say.

"I'll stay here a little longer and tried to wake up Shiena-san. It would be bad for her if she can't attend the class trial, who knows what Monokuma will do to her. She had suffered enough already…"

Despite her cold attitude, it was obvious that the gamester was worried for Shiena. Haru would also want to stay in the infirmary, but she knew that she needed to investigate if she wanted to find Nio's murderer. And she also trusted Suzu to take care of the hacker.

With some hesitation, Haru left the room, followed by Tokaku, Sumireko and Mahiru. They formed group of two and they went into opposite directions.

* * *

 

They were investigating for a while now and they didn't find any clues about Nio's murder. Haru and Tokaku were now inside of the library.

"Hum, it seems that everything related to the murder happened inside of the infirmary. And I highly doubt that we'll find some clues here." the blue haired girl said.

"It's still one of the only places we didn't search. We have nothing to lose."

"If you say so. I'll go check the books shelving, you can search near the reception."

Haru agreed and Tokaku walked way to head toward the books. Haru looked around the reception for clues, but she found nothing that seemed relevant to Nio's death. She then noticed the computers inside the library. One of them was turned on. Curious, Haru decided to check it.

She noticed that she couldn't have access to internet, which made sense. There was no way that Monokuma would allow them to have access to something that would allow them to contact people outside the school. And Shiena already told her that despite the fact that she had her laptop, she couldn't have access to the Wi-Fi.

Haru discovered that there was only one file saved on the computer. She opened it and hastened to read it.

" _In order to verify if Ichinose Haru is worthy to be part of the clan, she'll have to take part into an initiation. She'll have to attend Class Black and to survive against twelve assassins who will be her classmates at Myojo Academy. If she defeats all the assassins, she would have proven her worth and her life won't be targeted anymore…_ "

Haru wasn't sure to understand. Class Black was supposed to be her initiation? Her classmates were all assassins? How could it be possible? She knew that Tokaku was an assassin, but were the others too assassins?

All Haru knew before going to Myojo was that this academy was related to her clan. So when she was invited to attend Class Black as the SMSL Lucky Student, she knew that something was fishy about this. And when Monokuma revealed himself and the purpose of Class Black, Haru thought that it was just another tentative to kill her. She had heard that Class Black was in fact a killing game organised by her clan, so she thought that it was "normal". She accepted to attend this class because she wanted to have a chance to meet the people who were responsible for all the assassination attempt against her and tried to convince them to stop. She was ready to tempt everything just to be allowed to finally have a normal life.

But she knew now that it wasn't just a killing game, it was her initiation, she was supposed to be the target of everyone. But then, why wasn't she the target? Why everyone was killing each other instead? Were her classmates those assassins or just regular students who've got mixed to that against their will? It didn't really matter to Haru. Whatever the reason they came to Myojo Academy, it wasn't to participate into Monokuma's sick game. Since the majority of them didn't seem to want to kill her, her classmates probably didn't know about Class Black's initial purpose. Just like her, they were tricked and forced to risk their life against their will.

Haru would have preferred to be everyone's target. At least nobody would have died and she would have had a chance to talk to them and tried to convince them to not kill her. Whoever was behind this killing game, be it her clan or a third party, one thing was sure for Haru. It was her fault. If everyone had been tricked and forced to be part of this game, it was because Class Black existed. And the only reason why Class Black existed was because of Haru very own existence.

" _Takechi-san, Kaminaga-san, Hitsugi-chan, Namatame-san, Haruki-san, Nio…they all dead…because of me…?!_ "

Her sight began to become shady and a strong feeling of hopelessness began to rise inside of her mind.

"Ichinose, have you find something?"

Haru came back to her sense. Only to hear Tokaku's voice somehow appeased her. But it wasn't enough to make her feeling of guiltless disappeared. Quickly, Haru closed the file and deleted it. It wasn't a clue for Nio's murder, it was most likely one of those things Monokuma hid inside the school for the treasure hunt. Haru suspected that it was probably one of the motives to kill. It was a motive for the others to kill her as a revenge for the fact that it was because of Haru if they were trapped here and forced to kill each other.

"No, Haru found nothing." she lied.

"Me neither. I knew that there won't be any clues here…"

"Attention everyone!" Monokuma's voice suddenly resonated. "The investigation and the treasure hunt are now over. The class trial will begin soon. Please come to the elevator near the vending machines. Those who won't come will be severely punished by death!"

When Haru and Tokaku arrived at the elevator, two people were missing. They wait for few minutes, but those two still didn't show up.

"Well, it seemed that Shuto-san failed to wake up Kenmochi-san. Perhaps we should go get them?" Sumireko proposed.

"No, it's their decision. I let them 10 more minutes. If they don't come from their free will, they will be executed!" Monokuma declared.

Haru began to be afraid. If Suzu and Shiena didn't arrive soon, they will be killed. Judging by Monokuma's attitude, it seemed to be an outcome he wished for. Haru could only have faith that they will eventually join them.

"But if one of them is the culprit, would the class trial be cancelled?" Isuke asked.

"Upupu, don't hope too much. Even if one of them was the blackened, the class trial will still happen. You'll just have to vote for a dead person."

"But still, it's harsh. And wouldn't be boring for you, a class trial with only five participants?" Hanabusa asked.

"Five people are while enough to entertain me, don't worry about me."

"Very well. While waiting for them, how about we share what we found during the treasure hunt and the investigation?" the lady proposed.

"Nothing. The culprit didn't let any clues outside of the infirmary." Tokaku replied.

"Isuke knows who the mastermind is. It must be the chairwoman, Yuri something. She must have collaborated with the other creep, Mizorogi, and the traitor."

"Huh? The chairwoman? What make you think that?" Sumireko asked.

"Isuke found clippings newspaper where it was written that the one who barricaded all the exit was the chairwoman. And there were also an article about twelve students who were kidnapped. All our names were written, except Nio. Isuke thought that she was the traitor, but since she's dead I'm not sure…"

"Well, she could still be the traitor even if she's dead. But about the chairwoman…you're wrong. Yuri-sensei is clearly not the kind of person to organise such a pointless and tasteless killing game." Hanabusa replied.

"Uh? Yuri-sensei? You mean…you know her!?" Isuke exclaimed.

"Well, yes. She's a good friend of my family."

Suddenly, Isuke approached from Sumireko and grabbed her by the collar in a threatening way.

"So you're close to her…don't tell me that you're the traitor? Isuke's gonna kick your ass if you try to lie."

"Oh my, I thought that you had better manners, Inukai-san. Looks like I was wrong, you're quite boorish…"

"Do you have a death wish or what, you shitty rich brat?!"

"Ah, no…don't kill…Hanabusa-san, she's…" Mahiru began to mumble.

The kick-boxer released the lady and suddenly rushed toward the seamstress with a menacing aura.

"Shut up, you wimpy freak. Or Isuke will give you another scar to match the one in your face…"

The pink haired girl raised her fist, ready to punch Mahiru in the face. But before she could, Sumireko suddenly grabbed her arm. A pained expression appeared on Isuke's face.

"Oh my, that's not good, Inukai-san. Feel free to attack me, but don't you dare raising your hand on poor Banba-san. At least have the decency to wait until nighttime if you want to fight her, it will be fairer." Sumireko said with a cold and threatening expression.

She released the kick-boxer's arm. Isuke gazed at her with a murderous look.

"The hell with your strength…weren't you supposed to be a frail lady?"

"Don't underestimate me. I'm far from being a damsel in distress." Sumireko replied.

Haru was worried that both of them will start to fight. Isuke's attitude was kind of weird. Haru wondered if it was because she found something about her parents during the treasure hunt. Luckily, a sudden arrival changed the atmosphere.

"Sorry for the late, it was quite hard to bring Shiena-san. I finally managed to wake her up and made her wear properly her uniform, but…she's not quite here. Mentally I mean." Suzu said.

The gamester was helping Shiena to stay stand by allowing her to lean on her shoulder.

"Shiena-chan! Are you…alright?" Haru asked.

The brunette weakly raised her head to look at Haru. She seemed to be half-asleep.

"Oh, Ichinose…you know what? I'm a pirate."

"Huh? What do you mean…a pirate?"

"You know, I'm going to wear an eye-patch, just like a pirate. And in some language, hackers are called pirates. So now I'm even more a pirate!"

Shiena suddenly began to laugh. Haru wasn't sure what to think about her odd behaviour.

"Oh my, she's not right in the head…" Sumireko commented.

"She must be high on morphine." Isuke added.

"Well everybody's here. Too bad, I really wanted to do an execution…we didn't have one since the last two class trial…Anyway, go inside the elevator, the fifth class trial will shortly began! Upupu."

The elevator's doors opened and everybody went inside. The door closed and the elevator began to go down.

" _Nio's murderer…must be one of us. Haru doesn't want to suspect anyone, but I've to. Haru has to find the culprit for everyone sake, because…everything is Haru's fault. This is why, during the class trial, Haru will definitely uncover the culprit's identity._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who killed Nio? Who's the traitor? Who's the mastermind?
> 
> About the pirate thing, the French word for hacker is pirate. As a French person I couldn't help myself from making this reference.


	38. Chapter 5: The fifth class trial can begin

No new portrait had been added on the wall. Well, it was logical. Nobody actually died between Haruki's suicide and the fourth class trial's end. Despite the lack of new picture, Suzu approached the wall.

"I remember. Last class trial, Hanabusa-san said that the flower under Sagae-san was a verbena. Isn't right?" the gamester asked.

"Yes. It was indeed a verbena flower. Let me guess. It must have been hard for you inside of that coffin to refrain yourself from telling us the meaning of this flower?" Sumireko replied with a smirk.

"You're right. I had to use all my self-control to not talk when I was playing dead inside of the coffin. It was painful sometime to hear all of you saying silly arguments like a bunch of children. At least some of you were more clever…" Suzu said. "By the way, in the language of flowers, verbena means family love."

"You really are looking for trouble, you old hag!" Isuke said angrily.

"A 19 years old middle schooler shouldn't insult me about my age."

"Shut up, you're a 100-something years old! How can you still be in middle school!?"

"The educational system was way different back in my days, so I never technically went to middle school. I'm an adult woman after all. You know, you should be more respectful to you elders, Inukai-san." Suzu replied.

"Shut up, you fucking crone!"

"Hey, don't be disrespectful to Shuto-obaasan!" Shiena suddenly said.

The brunette almost pushed Isuke away, but the kick-boxer dodged quite easily.

"You're lucky that Isuke isn't into beating up the disabled."

"Say, Shuto-san. You shouldn't be called the SMSL Gamester, but rather the SMSL  _Gammer_." Sumireko suddenly said.

Everyone became momentarily silent due to this lame joke. Haru on the other hand didn't really understand the meaning. Surprisingly, Suzu let out a slight giggle.

"I must admit, it was a good one. But, the pun would have been funnier if my talent was gamer."

"Hey, I'm not disabled! I'm a pirate!" Shiena said out of nowhere.

"No you're high…" Isuke replied.

The hacker suddenly continued to try to push the pink haired girl. With a pissed expression, Isuke grabbed Shiena's collar and lift her from the ground.

"If you want to be a pirate this much, Isuke will gladly make you look even more like one. How about a hook and a wooden leg? When Isuke will have finished with you, you'll need those…"

"Oy, wait! No murder is allowed during the class trial! If you want to kill, do it after! So go to your seat, it's time to begin." Monokuma intervened.

Resignedly, the kick-boxer released Shiena's collar. The brunette almost fell on the floor, but Suzu helped her to remain on her feet. Everybody headed to the circle of desk. A coffin was in the center, with Nio's corpse inside. Due to her death, Sumireko and Suzu were now next to each other.

"You'll argue with each other and try to find the culprit who killed Hashiri Nio. When the majority of you will agree, you'll vote to determine who you think had committed the murder. If the blackened is discovered, this person alone will be executed. But if you vote for the wrong person, everybody except the blackened will be executed and this person will graduate and as a reward, will have a wish granted. Without further ado, let's begin the class trial!" Monokuma explained like usual.

Everybody stayed quiet for few seconds, looking at each other.

"So…we should start with what?" Isuke asked.

"With what's obvious. Hashiri-san had her throat sliced and she died from blood loss. The murder weapon was probably a scalpel. We found one in the infirmary, hidden inside a washcloth in the washbasin." Sumireko said.

"Wait…Hashiri died? When?" Shiena asked seriously.

"You must be kidding me…the corpse is right in front of you…" Isuke commented.

"Huh…? She's not dead, that's just ketchup. Duh." the hacker replied.

"Ok, Isuke is really about to kill her."

"No need to be so mad, how childish of you. Shiena-san is on morphine and she doesn't wear her glasses, her behaviour is understandable." Suzu said.

"Isuke rectify. I'm about to kill both of you."

"Can you take this more seriously please? Should I remind you that our lives re at stakes…" Hanabusa complained.

"Yes, you're right. Now that we established the cause of death, we need to figure out the time of death in order to eventually confirm alibis." the gamester said.

Haru thought about this. When Nio died? What were the last time she saw her alive? The answer came easily to her.

"The treasure hunt!" Haru suddenly exclaimed. "Nio was still alive before it. Haru isn't sure when exactly, but she must have been killed during the treasure hunt."

"During the treasure hunt…did someone encounter Hashiri-san during the treasure hunt?" Sumireko asked.

"I don't think so, it looked like she went looking for clues on her own." Tokaku replied.

Nobody else spoke about this. It seemed that it was right, nobody saw Nio during the treasure hunt. Well, excluding the culprit.

"I think we know everything that's necessary to establish alibis. What were you doing during the treasure hunt?" the lady asked.

"Searching for the things Monokuma hid…duh." Isuke replied.

"Ok, let me reformulate. How can you prove that you didn't slay Hashiri-san during the treasure hunt?" Sumireko asked again.

"I was locked inside a room and tied up. I believe that it proves my innocence. Haru-san and Azuma-san can confirm." Suzu said.

"Yes, that's true. We found Suzu-san locked inside a classroom. She was tied up on a chair." Haru confirmed.

"And the door was locked from the outside." Tokaku added.

"Hum, I must admit that it's a pretty valid alibi." Hanabusa said. "In my case, I was with Banba-san all the time. So we can confirm each other alibis…"

"W-Wait…I…found…something…during the investigation…" Mahiru mumbled.

"Uh? Is it related to the alibis?" the lady asked.

"N-No…and it's not related to Hashiri-san's …murder either. But…it's…weird."

"Why are talking about it if it's not even relevant to the murder!?" Isuke exclaimed.

"Inukai-san, please be quiet. Banba-san, what it is?" Sumireko said.

"What!? But you're the one who said that we should take this seriously…ah, you know what, fuck off. Do what you want, Isuke doesn't care anymore."

Nervously, Mahiru took out something from her pocket. It was a black piece of paper.

"It's…it's a student profile." Banba mumbled.

"Where did you find this?" Hanabusa asked.

"When…we were investigating…one of the classrooms."

"Let me see." the lady said, which sounded more like an order.

The silver haired girl handed the page to Sumireko, who examined it.

"In which classroom did you find this exactly?" Hanabusa asked.

"It was…in the classroom where…Kaminaga-san was…murdered."

"Oh my...how tasteless of you, Monokuma. It's almost funny…hehe…" Sumireko said with a grin.

"…what's so funny about that?" Suzu replied with annoyance.

"Oh sorry, I didn't intend to offend you. Here, you can have a look if you want…"

The gamester didn't even let her finish her sentence that she grabbed the paper and looked at is content. A shocked expression appeared on Suzu's face.

"No way…it's Kouko-chan's student profile!?"

"Huh? How is that possible? Isuke thought that it was only the missing pages that were hidden…Kaminaga-san's profile weren't missing in the book."

"Wait, in the book, weren't the pages white? This one is black. So it must come from another book." Sumireko concluded.

"Why Kaminaga-san would have two student profile?" Isuke questioned.

"Ah, I see…those profiles are both about Kouko-chan, but they don't have the same provenance. Look by yourself." Suzu said while showing the profile to everyone.

Haru concentrated on the black page. At first glance, it looked almost identical to the other Kouko's student profile, until Haru noticed the title.

"Super High School Level…Class Representative!?" Haru exclaimed.

"What!? Kaminaga-san was a Hope's Peak Academy students!?" Isuke reacted.

"It seems so…so then, why did she introduce herself as the SMSL Leader?" Sumireko wondered.

"Maybe she thought that SHSL Class Rep didn't sound bossy enough for her taste…" the pink haired girl replied.

"But still, it doesn't explain the other student profile she has. How could she be both the SMSL Leader and the SHSL Class Rep?" Haru asked.

"Maybe she infiltrated Myojo Academy? Who cares…" Isuke replied.

"One of those profiles must be fake. It must be a trap from Monokuma…" Tokaku began to say.

"Like this one?" Shiena suddenly said while showing another black piece of paper.

"Kenmochi-san? Where did you find this?" Sumireko asked.

"Huh, it was, like, in my pocket or something…I'm not sure. I was checking my pocket and it appeared inside, I swear!"

"Wait, in which pocket?" Suzu asked.

"My jacket's pocket."

"Hum…we retrieved you jacket from the sitting room, which means…that Monokuma must have hid this page there. Those black pages were both hidden in a place where a murder occurred." the gamester said.

"So you mean…it must the little shit's profile!" Shiena exclaimed while looking at the page. "Yes, it is. It's Kirigaya  _Shit_ sugi's student profile."

"…that was a terrible pun." Sumireko commented.

"So, what's her title?" Suzu asked.

"SHSL Shit."

"Shiena-san, please be serious."

"Ok, ok. Super High School Level Toxicologist."

"Uh, so she was also a Hope's Peak Academy's student. But this time, her title is the same as her SMSL title." Isuke noted.

"If we follow the same logic, there should have a similar student profile for Sagae-san in the gymnasium's storage room." Sumireko said.

"So like I said, those must be fake profiles Monokuma made as a motive…" Tokaku repeated.

"No, all the thing I hid are the truth!" Monokuma protested. "Those profiles aren't fake."

"So it's the book Inukai-san found that is fake?" Sumireko questioned.

"Neither! Anyway, that's not the moment to talk about those, you have a murder to resolve. It's a class trial!" the headmaster shouted.

Suddenly, Suzu uttered some giggles that didn't seem quite sane.

"Hehe, I see. I understand now. Everything makes sense…" the gamester mumbled.

"Uh, Suzu-san? Are you…alright? What do you mean 'everything makes sense'?" Haru asked, worried.

"Tsk tsk, I won't tell you. It would have no meaning if you don't figure out by yourself. Anyway, just like Monokuma said, it's not the time. We need to focus on Hashiri-san's murder. Where were we speaking about earlier? Oh yes, the alibis." Suzu said while retrieving her composure.

"Yours were confirmed, like mine and Banba-san's alibi." Sumireko added.

"Ichinose and I were together during the treasure hunt, so I can certify that she isn't the culprit." Tokaku declared.

"And Haru can confirm that neither is Tokaku-san."

"Treasure hunt? Huh? I was sleeping so I don't know." Shiena said.

"Isuke was too busy looking for Monokuma's motive to bother about Nio."

Everyone had told their alibis. But, two of them couldn't be confirm, and one of those with an unconfirmed alibis was telling a lie. Haru wanted to call her out about that, but someone outguessed her.

"Inukai, you're lying. You were looking for Hashiri. You were suspecting her of being the traitor since you found this newspaper clipping." Tokaku said.

"What…what are you insinuating!?" Isuke replied angrily.

"Isn't it obvious? You're the culprit. It could only be you. And you had a motive to do it." the blue haired girl insisted.

"I see. I don't know about the newspaper clipping you're talking about, but it must have been Monokuma's motive. Or at least, one of them." Suzu concluded.

"So Inukai-san is the one this time who fell for Monokuma's motive." Sumireko added.

"No…it's not true! Yes, I was searching for Nio, but I didn't find her! And Isuke only wanted to interrogate her, not killing her! It would be dumb to kill someone you're trying to get info from." Isuke protested.

"Indeed, usually to make someone talk you don't kill them. Torture would have been a better option." Suzu said.

"We're talking about Inukai. She must have lost her temper and killed Hashiri on a whim because she wasn't answering her questions." the blue haired girl insisted.

"No, Isuke wouldn't! If I had to kill someone, Isuke would do it professionally. Not just because I lost my temper!"

Like the others, Haru was tempted to also think that Isuke was the culprit. She couldn't confirm her alibis, she had a motive, and Haru knew personally that Isuke was the kind of person who could kill. But, despite that, Haru wasn't convinced of the pink haired girl's guiltiness. One detail could disprove this theory.

"No, that's wrong. Isuke-san couldn't be the culprit. Hanabusa-san, when you arrived at the infirmary, the door was locked, right?" Haru asked.

"Yes, it's true. When I went to the infirmary with Banba-san to check on Kenmochi-san, the door was locked. And then Inukai-san arrived and kicked the door open."

"So, if the door was locked, how could Isuke-san killed Nio? The door was locked from the inside, so she shouldn't have been able to leave the room, which means…that the culprit must have been inside the infirmary all this time…" Haru concluded.

There was only one person among the survivor that fitted this criterion. With their current clues, it seemed that only this person could be the culprit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION!
> 
> Poor Nio, this class trial is about her and nobody seems to take it seriously (even the author...).


	39. Chapter 5: Closed room

"If the door was locked from the inside, then the culprit shouldn't have been able to exit, which means that…the culprit should have still been inside the infirmary when Isuke-san forced the door open." Haru declared, before looking the person she was suspecting. "I'm sorry, Shiena-chan, but I can't do otherwise than suspecting you. Other than Nio, you were the only one inside the infirmary before the door was forced open."

The brunette looked emotionless at first, then confused, before suddenly burst in laugh.

"Haha, that's a good one, Ichinose. But how could I've killed someone who's not dead?" the hacker replied.

"Shiena-chan, this is serious. Nio was really murdered. Haru doesn't want to suspect you, but it looks like only you could have carry out the murder. So please, if you know something that could prove your innocence, tell us."

Shiena suddenly stopped to laugh. She seemed to genuinely don't understand the situation.

"I…I don't know. I was…asleep, I think. I don't remember anything. Did someone…really died?"

"She can't be serious…right?" Isuke commented.

"Oh my, could it be possible that she forgot? She could have wake up momentarily and killed Hashiri-san and not remember it after." Sumireko said.

"Hum, what if Hashiri tried to kill her first? Kenmochi could have killed her in self-defence when she was still half-asleep, which could explain why she doesn't remember it. Then, the person who would have locked the door would be the victim herself." Tokaku proposed.

Haru wondered if it could be the truth. Could it really be what happened? A half-asleep Shiena killed Nio? At least, it would mean that the hacker didn't intend to commit murder, but still, Haru didn't want to accuse her too soon. Suddenly, she remembered a detail that didn't add up with this theory.

"Wait! Something's wrong with this theory. If Shiena-chan did killed Nio while being half-asleep, she should have went back to sleep right after, which would mean that we wouldn't have clean up the evidence. But, when I checked on Shiena-chan just after she discovered Nio's corpse, there wasn't a single drop of blood on her. If she really slain Nio, she should have been splashed with her blood, which wasn't the case!" Haru defended.

"This is true. And the scalpel was hidden, so we can supposed that the culprit was enough conscious to do this. I highly doubt that a person half-asleep and on morphine could have done that." Sumireko said.

"You all see how Shiena-chan is acting right now. It's pretty unlikely that she could have hid the evidence in her current state." Haru added.

"Maybe it's exactly this, an act. What if Kenmochi-san is purposefully acting like this since the beginning to make herself look less suspicious? Isn't she the one who claimed to be a dramatist? She must be able to act well then…" Isuke proposed.

"A dramatist writes play, you are confusing with actor, you twat!" Shiena replied.

"What the fuck did you just say to Isuke you fucking nerd!?"

"Hum, it could be true. If Kenmochi-san is only pretending to be drugged, she could have done the murder and then hid the evidence and pretended to be asleep when we arrived." Hanabusa said. "Now that we speak about that, the morphine that I gave her should have lost her effect by now…"

"So she's really pretending! She must be the culprit!" the pink haired girl exclaimed.

Haru couldn't believe that Shiena was the type of person to be cunning. She had faith into the brunette's integrity. But also, Haru knew that she could refute this accusation simply because of a misunderstanding from Sumireko.

"That's wrong, Hanabusa-san! The morphine you gave to Shiena-chan indeed lost is effect, I was there when it happened. Since Shiena-chan was really in pain and panicking, I…gave her another morphine tablet." Haru explained.

"Ah, yes, I remember…Ichinose shove it inside my mouth and forced it in my throat so fiercely…and she refused to let my mouth free until I swallowed…" Shiena replied with an embarrassed expression.

"So Haru-chan is that type of person…poor Azuma-san, she's a cuckold now…" Isuke mocked.

"A what?" the blue haired asked with a confused look.

"N-No that's not it, it's not what you think…Anyway, the point is, Shiena-chan isn't pretending. She really is on morphine right now." Haru affirmed.

"I must admit that it's a solid proof. It's unthinkable that someone who's on morphine could have the strength and the consciousness to commit a murder and hide the evidence." Sumireko said.

"Can you please stop changing your opinion every goddamn minutes!?" Isuke complained.

"Oh my, how closeminded of you. My opinion is based on the current evidence, it's normal that I change it regularly. It's the proof that I'm willing to accept the clues and adapt my opinion consequently." the lady replied.

"Ok, Kenmochi-san was drugged, and? She's still the only one who could have done the murder! Should I remember you that the door was locked from the inside, with only her and Nio were inside the infirmary?" Isuke argued.

"It's still not enough to accuse Shiena-san." Suzu suddenly protested. "I admit that she's highly suspicious, but we need more proof before accusing her."

"It's you who said that, the one who's always pretending to act with logic?" the pink haired girl retorted.

"It's true that I want to privilege logic over feelings, but I'm basing my judgement from what I know about Shiena-san. I honestly don't think that she's the type of person who could have done that. But if we didn't find something to prove her innocence, then I'll acknowledge that she's the culprit." the gamester explained.

"Fine. Go ahead. Show me another way the culprit could have exit the room without unlocking the door. Isuke can't wait to hear that!"

Haru knew that if she didn't find another way to exit the infirmary, she'll be forced to admit that Shiena is the culprit since she's the only one who could have committed the murder according to their current clues. Haru wanted to believe in her innocence, this is why she reflected about this intensely. Haru then remembered a detail about the infirmary that could at least alleviated the suspicions on Shiena.

"There is another way to enter and exit the infirmary. When I investigated this room, I saw an air vent. The grid wasn't on the air vent, we found it hidden under Shiena-chan's bed." Haru declared.

"That's true. I'm the one who discovered the air vent grid under the bed." Tokaku concurred.

"I see. So the culprit could have exited the infirmary by the air vent." Sumireko replied.

"That still doesn't prove that Kenmochi-san isn't the culprit!" Isuke protested.

"You don't understand the situation, Inukai-san. The biggest evidence against Shiena-san was the fact that only her seemed to be able to carry out the murder. Now that it's debunked, she is as much suspicious as any of us." Suzu replied.

"It's also mean that some alibis aren't valid anymore. I'm talking about you, Inukai. Now nothing proves that you didn't commit the murder." Tokaku said.

"It's true. With this revelation, all the alibis remain unchanged, except yours." Sumireko added.

"What!? Wait, Isuke isn't the culprit! It's true that I was searching for Nio, but I never found her." Isuke protested.

It seemed that once again, Isuke was being suspected. This time, Haru did think that she might be the culprit, but she still wanted to be sure before accusing her. She tried to see if there was something that could prove Isuke's innocence. Haru recalled the event during the treasure hunt when she encountered the pink haired girl and the moment when they found Nio's body, before elaborating her deduction.

"I saw Isuke-san during the treasure hunt. She was with Haru when we found the newspaper clipping about the kidnapping of twelve Class Black's students. All our names, except Nio's, were in the article. We are the kidnapped students. And since Nio isn't, Isuke-san suspected her to be the traitor. This is why she was searching for Nio, to interrogate her." Haru began to say.

"We were kidnapped? Well, that explains a lot." Suzu commented.

"Wait, Nio was the traitor?" Shiena asked, suddenly interested.

"Probably, this is why Isuke wanted to make her talk…"

"But then you ended up killing her instead." Sumireko interrupted.

"No! And shut up! I bet you are the real traitor!" Isuke replied aggressively.

"Look at you, trying desperately to change the subject. How pitiful." the lady replied.

"Shut your trap! The one who trapped us here is the chairwoman Yuri Meichi! You know her, so you must be her accomplice!"

Haru noticed that when the chairwoman's name was said, Shiena didn't seem indifferent, which kind of bothered Haru. But it wasn't the time to think about this, she had a murder to resolve.

"Just after Isuke-san left to look for Nio, Tokaku-san and I found Suzu-san. And shortly after we heard the announcement and discovered Nio's corpse. I estimate that the period of time between our encounter with Isuke-san and the body discovery was between 5 and 10 minutes." Haru added.

"I believe that 5 or 10 minutes if fairly enough to have committed the murder." Sumireko began to say. "Inukai-san departed for you, found Hashiri-san inside the infirmary, tried to interrogate her but ended up killing her on a whim. She then locked the door and escaped by the vent."

"But, Isuke-san really seemed to be motivated by making Nio talk. Haru is sure that it would have taken more time for her to kill Nio if her intent was to make her talk. She could have harmed her to make her talk…but other than the cut on her throat, Nio's corpse had no other wound. It was confirmed by Monokuma himself."

"Those are just speculation, it's not a fact. You can't pretend to know what Inukai-san's real intentions were. She could have pretended in front of you to want to interrogate Hashiri-san, but could have in fact intended to kill her since the beginning. Since we can't know for sure her intentions, we have to base our opinion on facts. And the current facts point as Inukai-san being the culprit." Hanabusa argued.

Haru hesitated for a moment to continue arguing with her. It wasn't the first time Sumireko was quite insistent on her own theory, but this time, it felt different. Usually, the lady acted this way due to her pride and her desired to find the culprit and survive. But this time, Haru could hear some hostility in her voice, like it was something personal. Haru had the impression that Hanabusa had some kind of grudge against her, but she couldn't know why. Despite that, Haru was determined to continue the debate in order to find the truth.

"Hanabusa-san, how long did you wait in front of the infirmary's door before Isuke-san arrived?" Haru suddenly asked.

"Few minutes, maybe 2 or 3." Sumireko replied.

"Then why didn't you break the door yourself?" Isuke asked.

"Oh my, it would be unsightly for a lady to damage public property. And Banba-san was with me, I wanted to spare her the sight of me acting in such an inelegant way."

"Are you insinuating that Isuke isn't elegant!?"

"I didn't say that, but if the shoe fits, then wear it." the lady replied arrogantly.

The pink haired girl really looked like she was about to attack Sumireko, but she remained at her desk. Haru wondered if it was because she was wary about Hanabusa's unusual strength she experienced earlier, just before the class trial began.

"Hanabusa-san, did you hear something suspicious inside the infirmary when you were waiting in front of the door?" Haru asked.

"I don't think so. It was quite calm inside the infirmary."

"So we can assume that the murder occurred before you arrived in front of the infirmary's door," Haru concluded "which means that it's not in 5-10 minutes, but 3-8 minutes that Isuke would have committed the murder, and even maybe 2-7."

"It's still well enough to commit the murder…" Sumireko tried to insist.

"Are you sure? To carry out this murder, Isuke-san would have to first find Nio, then kill her and find a way to unscrew the air vent grid, hide it, and escape by it, to come back shortly after to kick the door open. Let's not forget that she has no blood on her, so she would also have to clean herself, and we're still not sure if she wanted to initially interrogate Nio or not. So no, Haru doesn't think that Isuke-san had enough time to commit this murder."

"Inukai-san wears a black jacket that doesn't cover her very much. If the blood had splashed on her, it would have stained either her skin or the black tissue. It should have been easy and quick for her to wash the blood." Hanabusa argued.

Haru wasn't convinced by Sumireko's argument. Discreetly, she observed Isuke's clothing from head to toes and understood the lady's mistake.

"You're wrong! Isuke-san's jacket isn't entirely black! There have purple tissue on her…chest area, and she had a scarf of the same color around her neck. If those were stained with blood, it shouldn't have been easy and quick to wash them!" Haru replied.

"She could have removed her scarf before committing the murder, and about the tissue…maybe the washcloth wasn't only for hiding the scalpel. Inukai-san could have used it like a bib to avoid the blood to stain her chest." Hanabusa said back.

"Isuke is way too old to wear a bib you shitty oujo-sama!"

Haru was forced to admit that those were plausible possibilities. But still, something didn't add up in her mind. At first Haru only defended Isuke because she didn't want to accuse her too soon, but now, she was more convinced that she may be really innocent. She then realised something that was incorrect with Sumireko's theory. It was not only because of Isuke's clothing, but also her body, as well as Nio's body.

"Wait! Isuke-san is way taller than Nio. She barely arrived at her shoulders. So if the blood splashed somewhere, it shouldn't have on Isuke-san's chest, but rather her belly and her skirt. As you can see, her skirt is purple, and there's no blood drop on it." Haru argued.

"She could have fixed the washcloth on her belt in order to protect her skirt from the blood." Sumireko insisted.

"The washcloth isn't big enough to cover all her skirt." Haru replied.

Sumireko remained quiet for a moment while looking at Haru with a displeased and annoyed expression.

"If Inukai-san isn't the culprit and everyone else had an alibi, what would it mean? Ichinose-san, are you going to once again claim that it's a suicide or that somehow, Hashiri-san isn't dead?" Hanabusa said arrogantly.

Definitely, Sumireko was mad at her for some reason. Haru thought about the two possibilities she told. It was true that Haru was the one who found out about Haruki's suicide and the fact that Suzu faked her death, but could it be the same for Nio? Haru remembered the crime scene and concluded that it couldn't be the case.

"No, Nio couldn't have committed suicide. Because if she had killed herself, who would have hide the scalpel? And she couldn't have faked her death either. We clearly saw that it was Nio's corpse, so there's no doubt possible." Haru said.

"So if Hashiri-san is really dead and that she isn't the culprit, who've done it? If you can't find the culprit, you should pretend to know who is innocent, Ichinose-san." Sumireko replied bitterly.

Haru began to feel nervous. Everyone seemed to have an alibi. So, who was Nio's murderer? Haru had the feeling that she's missing something important, but she couldn't know what it was. It made extremely anxious to not being able to figure out the truth while everyone's life was a stake.

"Ichinose, that's ok. I'm sure you'll find out the truth, because…I trust you. So you can trust yourself too. Try to recall all that happen and maybe you'll discover what doesn't make sense in someone's alibi." Tokaku said softly.

"Tokaku-san…"

Comforted by the blue haired girl's words, Haru calmed herself. She tried to remember everything that happened and found out what she could have missed.

"Nio was murdered during the treasure hunt. The time of death is unknown, but it was probably before Hanabusa-san arrived in front of the infirmary's door. The culprit must have sneak inside the infirmary when Nio was inside. The culprit then took a scalpel and slain Nio. She then locked the door, probably to make it look like it was a closed room murder, and searched for another way to leave the room. The culprit noticed the air vent and somehow unscrewed it and hide the grid under the bed, before escaping. The culprit probably left the vent by another air vent, which gave the illusion that the murderer couldn't have left the infirmary." Haru began to say, before suddenly realising something she didn't think about. "And the only person who could have done that is…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION! (again)
> 
> Sumireko become a prick again. I wonder why...ah, I'm kidding, of course I know why, I'm the author. But you, do you have an idea why?


	40. Chapter 5: Pure despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 40! Thanks for all of those who supports my story, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

Haru found herself unable to say the name she had on her mind. She knew that person was suspicious, but she didn't want to accuse her. Despite the evidence, she was sure that it couldn't be her.

"Why did ya stop to talk? Ya were about to say who is da culprit…"

Haru recognized that voice. She turned herself to face the person who had just talk.

"Shinya-san?!"

"Yup, that's me. When the sun goes down, Shinya's in da house!"

"Oh my, it must be nighttime. Good evening, Shinya-san." Sumireko said with a polite smile.

"Yo, Sumireko."

"Well, I've plan that something like that could happen during the class trial. Banba-san, look inside of your desk, you have all you need to adapt your seat." Monokuma declared.

The silver haired girl opened the top of her desk and took out two pieces of paper. On one it was written her first name and on the other one her talent, "Demolisher". Shinya put the paper with her name on Mahiru's name and the one with her talent on the tag written "Seamstress" fixed on the desk.

"So, Ichinose-san, don't let Banba-san's change of personality distracts you. You were about to tell a name, aren't you? Then say it. Who do you think the culprit is?" Hanabusa asked.

"I have also an idea of who could be the only who could have committed this murder. Let's see if we think about the same person, Haru-san." Suzu declared.

"Just fucking say it so we can get over this dumb class trial!" Isuke exclaimed.

"Ichinose, don't be afraid to tell what's on your mind. Whatever you will say, you have my support." Tokaku said.

Haru hesitated a little bit. She was still thinking that this person couldn't be the culprit, but to prove her innocence, she had to at least express her doubt about this individual. The class trial couldn't continue if she didn't and the truth couldn't be reveal. This is why Haru finally decided to reveal who she thought might be the culprit, according to the current clues.

"Suzu-san, Haru doesn't want to accuse you, but you're the only who could have carry out this murder."

The gamester didn't seem surprise by Haru's statement. Her expression was in fact completely emotionless. The others on the other hand seemed completely confused and shocked by Haru's declaration.

"Uh, Ichinose-san…, with all due respect, I know that it's really tempting to accuse Shuto-san, but I don't see how she could be the culprit this time." Sumireko said.

"Ichinose…how could you…accuse Shuto…" Shiena said while panting.

Haru noticed that the hacker didn't seem well. Her face was wan and she looked tired. Haru was worried that the morphine may be losing is effects.

"How interesting. You think that I'm the culprit? I wonder what makes you think so." Suzu replied with a smirk.

"No, it's not that…Haru isn't saying that you're the culprit, it's just that you're the only one whose alibi doesn't add up."

"It doesn't matter what you think, you're still accusing me. Don't worry, I'm not mad at you for doing so, I understand perfectly your suspicions against me. But tell me, how could I have possibly killed Hashiri-san? Aren't you the one who confirm my alibi?"

"Yes, and it was a mistake. Haru should have remembered the important clues inside the classroom where you were locked."

"Hum, what clues?" Sumireko asked.

"The air vent!" Haru replied.

"Uh…there had a lot of air vents, Isuke doesn't see how it could be a proof…"

"Would you prefer to be suspected again?" Tokaku replied.

"You're right, that air vent is suspicious. Shuto-san must be the culprit." Isuke said.

"I'm still not convinced. You'll have to give me more clues if you want me to believe into this wacky theory of yours." Hanabusa said.

Haru knew that it wasn't just the air vent that was suspicious. There were two other things inside the classroom that could be clues.

"To remove the air vent's grid, you need to remove the screws first. There was a screwdriver inside of the classroom. And I almost step on a small screw. It looks like someone unscrewed the grid and lost one of the screws in the process." Haru argued. "And if I'm remembered correctly, the classroom where Suzu-san was locked and the infirmary were in parallel with each other in opposite corridors. So the air vents must been connected."

"Hum, I must admit that it's kind of suspicious. But it could only be coincidences." the lady replied.

"You should also remember that someone tied me up with a bag on my head. It's hard to commit a murder in that kind of situation don't you think?"

Haru must admit that it was true. It was inconceivable to accuse someone who had been tied up. But despite that fact, something felt wrong with Suzu's statement. Two things to be more precise.

"No, that could be wrong! Tokaku-san said it, it wasn't with a regular node you were tied up, it was with a noose! Which means you could have tied you up yourself! You could have made a noose and then slide your hands inside, before tighten it around your wrists to make it look like someone tied you. Then you would just have to pass your arms under your feet to put them behind your back and sat on a chair to make it look like you were unable to commit the murder." Haru explained.

"It's true that it's weird to tie someone with a noose. Usually a noose is for hanging someone." Sumireko commented.

"And it's not the only wrong thing with what she said. Suzu-san, how did you know you had a bag on your head?" Haru added.

"That's true. You were still sleep when Ichinose removed the bag from your head, and she threw it away. We never told you that you had a bag on your head. And according to what you told us, you were locked in a dungeon and then you woke up inside of the classroom. So how did you know about the bag? Even if you have seen it on the floor, for you to know that it was on your head with such conviction is really suspicious." Tokaku said.

"The rope too. After Tokaku-san cut it, Haru saw a node in the rope, like it had been cut once and tied back together."

"I see. Shuto-san could have freed herself first, which explained how she knew about the bag, and then tied the two rope's pieces together and do the noose." Sumireko said.

Despite her stoic expression, Haru could see what seemed to be uneasiness inside Suzu's eyes.

"I admit it, I lied. I was just pretending to sleep. When I heard footsteps approaching from me I was afraid of whom it could be, so I faked to be asleep." the gamester said.

"But Haru called your name…"

"I believe that Monokuma is enough twisted to replicate someone's voice just to mess with people's mind. I wanted to be sure that it was really you."

That could explained how Suzu knew about the bag. Maybe there was still a possibility for the gamester to be innocent. This is what Haru wanted to believe, but it looked like it wasn't an opinion shared by the others.

"So Shuto-san is the culprit. Can we vote now?" Isuke said.

"Wait! It's too soon to vote, there's still things left…" Haru tried to say.

"Like what? All the alibis are established except Shuto's one, the murder weapon, and how the murder went. I was sceptical at first, but you convinced me Ichinose-san. Shuto-san must be the culprit." Sumireko said.

"But…Suzu-san is only slightly taller than Nio, the blood should have splashed on her tie, which isn't the case!" Haru protested.

"She could have removed her tie or used the washcloth as a bib. And her shirt is black, so the blood shouldn't have let visible stains. Ichinose-san, why are you suddenly defending her? You're the one who accused her first." The lady retorted.

"No, that's wrong! Haru didn't…want to accuse Suzu-san. I only suspected her…to find a way to prove her innocence. Because Haru has…faith into Suzu-san. I want to…trust her. I can't accept that she's the culprit, it can't be the truth!"

Haru wanted to prove to everyone that Suzu wasn't the culprit. She wanted to make them had faith in her too. But she couldn't. She couldn't find the right words to convince everyone. She had no proof to offer. But what scared her the most was that deep down, Haru knew that it couldn't have only be Suzu.

Sumireko glanced at her with contempt. She was clearly pissed at Haru. But she still maintained her elegant composure.

"How naïve and pathetic. I'm feeling ashamed of myself to have had some respect for you, Ichinose-san. And you dare to call yourself a survivor…"

"Haru never said that! Haru isn't a survivor, I don't want to survive. I want to live with everyone, I want everyone to survive, to escape from here and be friends outside!"

This time, Hanabusa looked utterly furious. It was the first time Haru saw her harboring such an angry expression, it was really terrifying.

"You. Must. Be. Kidding. ME!" the lady suddenly shouted.

This time, Sumireko was really scary. It was the first time Haru was utterly afraid of her. And the worst was that she didn't understand why she was angry at her.

Hanabusa took a deep breath and regained her composure. Calmly, she took out a piece of paper from her pocket and showed it to everyone with a polite yet cold smile.

"Do you recognise this, Ichinose-san?" Sumireko asked with appeared to be a fake sweet voice.

"It's…it's Haru's…student profile. You found it…during the treasure hunt."

"Indeed. And can you read its content to everyone please?"

"It's written…Ichinose Haru, student #13, 159cm tall, C bust size, birthday 1st January, SMSL…"

Haru suddenly stopped reading. She couldn't believe what she just saw. How could it be possible?!

"How…I thought that I was the SMSL…"

"Lucky Student?" Sumireko interrupted with a murderous smile. "You're quite a good actress, Ichinose-san. You pretended to be just an ordinary student all this time, you tricked us all brilliantly. But it's not what infuriates me the most. How such a low-tier survivor such as yourself, who prefers to rely on friendship and faith rather than trying to actually survive, have gained the title of Super Middle School Level Survivor?"

"No, you're wrong…Haru didn't lie! I thought that I was the SMSL Lucky Student, I swear! I didn't know that I was in fact the SMSL Survivor…"

It was only half true. Haru knew since the beginning that her Lucky Student's title was probably false, but she thought that she didn't have an actual talent. She really didn't know that she was the SMSL Survivor.

"I don't care if you knew or not, it doesn't change the fact that I can't accept that a person who's more concerned about her trust into others than her own survival can be the SMSL Survivor. I don't think that I can despise you even more Ichinose-san. You're a disgrace to all survivors!"

"Shut up Hanabusa! You're going too far. Stop harassing Ichinose!" Tokaku replied angrily.

"You have no right to talk! Ah, you're making a good pair, two liars, two people who embarrass their own talent. An assassin who want to protect and a survivor who trust others. Both of you are real jokes." Sumireko said spitefully. "Since you're an incompetent Ichinose-san, I'll take care to explain the truth to everyone, the truth you failed to accept despite the evidence."

Haru didn't protest. She couldn't. She was still too disturbed by the reveal of her talent to talk. The lady glanced at her with a supercilious gaze.

"The culprit is Shuto Suzu-san, the Super Middle School Level Gamester. She woke up inside of a classroom. Her hands must have been tied up. Somehow, she managed to break the rope. But she couldn't escape, since the door was locked from the outside. She then decided to find another way to escape. While searching inside the room, she must have found the screwdriver. She probably then noticed the air vent and decided to leave by it. She unscrewed the grid, losing one of the screws in the process, and escaped.

When she found another air vent, she must have kicked the grid to open it and left the vent. She then arrived in the infirmary and discovered Kenmochi-san and Hashiri-san. I do believe that Hashiri-san is the one who locked the door and that the reason she was there was to murder Kenmochi-san, taking advantage of her current state. The reason why Shuto-san did what she did is still unknown. It could have been to frame Kenmochi-san or to protect her. Shuto-san removed her tie and grabbed a scalpel, to slain Hashiri-san. She then quickly wiped the blood from her, taking advantage of the fact her shirt is black, and hid the scalpel inside of a washcloth. She then hid the grid under the bed, put her tie back, and left the infirmary by the air vent, creating a convincing closed room.

When she returned to the locked classroom, she screwed back the air vent's grid, despite the fact she lost one of the screws. She then hid the screwdriver and took back the ropes. She tied the two pieces together and did a noose to tie her own hands. She put back the bag on her head and sat on a chair, giving the illusion that she was restrained and unable to have committed the murder. She was then 'freed' by Ichinose-san and Azuma-san, who didn't see through that. Isn't that right, Shuto-san?" Sumireko explained.

Haru wanted to argue, but she couldn't. She didn't have any proof to refute Hanabusa's theory. She was forced to admit that it was most likely the truth.

"That's bullshit! Shuto wouldn't have done that! Don't you have forgotten what was said during the previous class trial? Shuto wants to protect us to honor Kaminaga's will, she wouldn't have killed someone and risked to make all of us being executed!" Shiena suddenly protested. "And she won't have tried to frame me, not her…"

Haru understood that she was referring to the first class trial, when Otoya tried to frame her. Haru was amazed to see Shiena still defending Suzu. The hacker still didn't give up on hope. But, she noticed the pain on the brunette's face. Haru couldn't help but being worried about Shiena's state.

"Indeed, I don't think her initial intention was to frame you. I personally believe she wanted to prevent Hashiri-san from killing you. But, it doesn't change the fact that she still tried to get away with her crime. Maybe she changed her mind after she had committed murder, because she was scared for her own life? It's not really like her. I rather think she wanted to make the 'game' more interesting for her by playing her role as the blackened until the end." Sumireko replied.

Haru couldn't believe that Suzu would have prioritized her own amusement rather than everyone's safety. She was convinced that her priority was to honor the request Kouko asked her. She was sure that Suzu took seriously her title as the class rep. Then why Haru wasn't able to say it out loud? She wanted to have faith in Suzu, but she was unable to talk. The words won't come out from her mouth. Haru was completely mute, unable to defend the gamester. It was hopeless.

"So can we vote now?" Isuke asked once again.

"I've no opposition, I'm also ready to vote." Sumireko said.

"I'm not! Shuto isn't the culprit, this class trial has to continue until you acknowledge it!" Shiena retorted.

"Well, it seems that there isn't a consensus. How about you vote to know if you should vote now? upupu,  _voteception_." Monokuma said. "Ok, everyone who are ready to vote, raise your hand!"

Without surprise, Sumireko and Isuke both raise their hand, shortly followed by Shinya. Haru noticed that Tokaku seemed to hesitate. Haru was afraid that the blue haired girl might want to vote now. But, Tokaku didn't raise her hand, which reassured Haru.

"So three people are ready to vote. Those who want to continue the class trial, raise your hand." Monokuma asked.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shiena raised her hand. Haru was the second one who raised her hand. With an unsure expression, Tokaku also raised her hand.

"Three votes too!? It's a tie! Wait, there's someone who didn't vote." Monokuma began to say. "Shuto-san, even if you're the principal suspect, you're still allowed to vote. Choose wisely. Otherwise, this class trial could end with everyone being executed…"

Suzu remained quiet for a moment. Everyone was gazing at her. It seemed obvious that she would vote to continue the class trial. It was the wisest choice for someone who was the prime suspect.

Suddenly, the gamester smirked. Her smile seemed to be bitter, which worried Haru.

"I give up. This game lost its interest to me. I don't want to participate in this class trial anymore." Suzu declared.

"Well, it's mean that you're ready to vote. So it's four against three…" Monokuma began to say.

"No!" Shiena interrupted. "Shuto, don't do that! Don't lose hope, don't lose to despair!"

"Hope? Despair? Why seeing everything either white or black rather than in different shades of grey? I'm neither hope nor despair, I'm a gamester. All that matter to me is the game. If the game is bad, then I prefer to take my leave."

"I knew it. All of this is a mere game to you. Now that you lost, you prefer to give up. How shameful for the SMSL Gamester." Sumireko replied.

"You're mistaken. A good gamester knows when it's time to give up the game. Especially when it's rotten like this one." Suzu said.

"Anyway, let's stop the useless talk and let's vote!" Monokuma exclaimed. "You know the procedure, so let's not lose any more time please."

Slowly, Haru opened the top of her desk. She didn't want to vote for Suzu. She still wanted to have faith into her innocence. But she didn't have the conviction to pursue the debate. And if she didn't vote, she'll be executed too. Desperate by this painful choice, Haru pressed the button #13, ending up voting for herself. She then closed her desk.

"No, I refuse to vote! This trial is rigged! Shuto can't be the culprit, I won't accept this!" Shiena shouted.

"Foolish girl. You're going to die because of your ridiculous belief. Stop being blind and accept the truth. Shuto-san is the culprit." Sumireko replied.

"NO! She's not! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shup up, SHUT UP! ARGH!"

Shiena suddenly grabbed her head and showed a pained expression.

"Argh…my face, it's hurt…"

"The morphine…it must have lost is effect." Tokaku said.

"Upupu, five more seconds. Those who don't vote will be executed too!"

Despite Monokuma's threat, the hacker refused to vote. Suddenly, Suzu left her seat and went to Shiena's desk. She lifted the top, before grabbing the brunette's hand.

"S-Shuto, what are you doing!?"

The gamester suddenly slammed Shiena's hand inside the desk, forcing her to press on one of the buttons, before closing the top.

"Don't throw away your life in vain." Suzu simply said, before returning to her seat.

Everyone remained quiet, uncertain about what was going to happen. Monokuma was still on the screen, grinning maliciously.

"Looks like someone didn't vote…Shuto-san, you disobeyed, which mean you'll be punished by death!" Monokuma exclaimed cheerfully.

Haru couldn't believe it. Suzu didn't vote. She was going to die not because of the result of the vote, but because of her own disobedience.

"So you really didn't want to participate uh…you used the last remaining seconds to make Kenmochi-san vote…frankly, I can't understand you." Sumireko said. "Anyway, can we at least saw the result before you executed her?"

"How course! There it is!"

Monokuma's figure disappeared and a graphic appeared on the screen. Haru was flabbergasted to discover that except her, everyone else voted for Suzu.

"Congratulation everyone, you voted for the right person. Shuto Suzu was indeed the culprit who murdered Hashiri Nio." Monokuma declared.

Haru couldn't believe it. So it was the truth, Suzu killed Nio. Not even Haru's faith couldn't have change this reality.

"…hahaha..."

Someone just giggled. Haru looked around, wanting to know who dared to laugh in such a situation. She was astonished when she discovered who it was.

"HAHAHA! This is so laughable!" Suzu manically laughed.

"Oh my, this is clearly the behaviour of a murderer. So we were right." Sumireko commented.

"No…it can't be…why? Why, Shuto!? This can't be true, say it! It was a setup, say it!" Shiena pleaded desperately.

The gamester regained her composure.

"Do you not see the graphic? Monokuma himself confirmed it. I'm indeed the blackened of this case."

"But…you must have a good reason to do so! Hashiri must have been trying to kill me, or…you killed her because you discovered that she was the traitor!?"

"Does it really matter at this point? I'm already voted guilty. Whatever I said won't change my outcome. I'm going to be executed no matter what."

"No, please…"

Tears began to roll from Shiena's valid eye. Haru also began to cry. She had broken her promise to not cry anymore. But in this situation, she couldn't do otherwise.

"Why, Suzu-san!? What about Kaminaga-san's request!?" Haru shouted furiously. "Weren't you suppose to protect us?! Why did you kill Nio!?"

Despite her stoic expression, the gamester seemed hurt by Haru's words.

"I…my intentions never have changed since the moment I read Kouko-chan's request. This is all I can say."

"Then why…why…I don't understand! Is it related to the strongbox in your closet?"

"The strongbox? Oh, you naughty kid. You looked without permission into the things of an old lady. But it's ok, because yes, the truth that I achieved is hidden inside this strongbox. What's inside is an important clue to figure out what all of this is really about. The combination is the same I used for the locker."

"But the card…Haru couldn't find it. Haru isn't smart enough to figure out the combination without it, Haru can't understand!"

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure out soon or later. I trust you, Haru-san. But don't forget that luck is nothing without efforts."

Haru continue to sob. She didn't know what to think anymore. She wanted to be angry at Suzu, to hate her, but she couldn't. Some part of her still wanted to believe in her.

"Upupu, how pathetic. You're little rebellion was pointless, Shuto-san. Because you were still voted guilty. You'll have a die anyway!"

"This is where you are wrong, Monokuma. You sentenced me to death before revealing the result of the vote. So it's not the vote that caused my execution, but my disobedience. I'll die not because I was voted guilty, but because I refused to participate into your game. And as the game master, you removed the pawn that is me from the board because I wasn't playing your game anymore."

Monokuma suddenly stop smiling. He looked utterly pissed and even furious.

"You're still trying to make a fool of me…fine! Then you'll have an execution doubly more despairful!"

"Very well, do as you please. Make it memorable. I want to die like I lived." Suzu replied, taunting.

"Suzu-san…" Haru mumbled between two sobs.

"Haru-san, Shiena-san, everyone…I leave the rest to you. It's time for the old lady that I am to finally meet death."

There were a lot of different emotions inside Suzu's golden eyes. Haru could see sadness, regret, disappointment, but also some relief.

"Shuto, no…don't die. I still need you. I need your help to find the culprit!" Shiena shouted.

"I'm sure you'll be able to find the truth by yourself. I trust you for that."

"Enough with the sentimentalism, it's time to end this class trial in my favorite way!" Monokuma began to say.

"I just want to say that…"

"After two boring class trial, we'll finally have an…"

"I didn't lose…"

"…execution. It's now…"

"…because you can't lose to a cheater." Suzu finished saying.

"PUNISHEMENT TIME!"

Haru could see some fear on the gamester's face, but also resolve. She had resigned to her fate.

"And I've the perfect execution to the SMSL Gamester…"

A trapdoor suddenly opened under Suzu's feet and the gamester disappeared from everyone's sight.

* * *

Suzu landed in a strange place. It's look like a colorful labyrinth, almost like a board game. She spotted a streamer where it was written something: _Labyrinth of doom._

Suzu wondered if there was an exit. Maybe she still had a chance to survive. She wasn't the kind of person to throw her life away if she could still fight.

Still wanting to live, Suzu began to run, looking for a way to escape. But when she stopped running to look around, she received an electric shock. She almost fell but didn't continue to move, which result into another shock. The gamester understood that if she stopped moving, she'll be electrocuted.

While continuing to run, Suzu suddenly felt a sharp pain in her arm. She realised that she received an arrow. She must have activated some kind of trap. The labyrinth was trapped.

Still not giving up, Suzu continued to run. But another pain, this time in her foot, made her fell on the ground. She had stepped on a sharp pike that had pierced her foot. Suzu remained on the ground, unable to stand up due to the pain. It costed her another electric shock.

Using her remaining strengths, Suzu managed to put herself back on her feet. She continued to walk, or rather, to limp. The pain was atrocious, but she couldn't give up. It wasn't because she had hope, or because she didn't want to lose to despair. It was because of her pride as a gamester. If she still had a chance to win, she had to at least try.

She was able to see the traps coming, but unfortunately, her body was too weakened to dodge them. This is how she ended up with arrows in her shoulder, back and thigh. She also had been hit by an iron ball, which probably broke some of her ribs. Nonetheless, Suzu continued to walk, desperately searching for an exit.

She found a door. Slowly, Suzu approached from it. With some hesitation, she grabbed the handle and opened the door.

The gamester was welcome by a torrent of water. It hit her violently, enough to make her fell on the ground. She hit her head in the process, which made her half-conscious. She remained lying on the floor, too stunned to stand up. She didn't receive any shock this time. The electric ground must have been turned off because of the water.

Weakly, Suzu managed to sit. She looked around. The water was now everywhere in the labyrinth. When the water level began to be a threat for her life, Suzu difficultly stood up. She continued to walk slowly, due to her injuries and the fact that the water was now above her knees. No other trap was activated, probably because of the water. Well, the water was well enough to kill her, it could also be considered as a trap.

The gamester arrived in a dead end. This is how she understood that there weren't any exit. She had analysed the structure of the labyrinth to come to this conclusion. It wasn't a labyrinth, more like a closed room with a lot of walls. Its labyrinth-like appearance was only to make it look like you could survive when in reality you were doomed. It was like giving hope just to make the despair more painful.

The water level was now at her waist. Suzu didn't try to fight back anymore. She had no interest into a game that was faked and impossible to win. She let herself fell, floating above the water. The water was tepid, which was kind of pleasant. Suzu would have like to swim a little, but with her injuries she couldn't. All she could do was to float, letting herself being carried away by the water.

She closed her eyes. She wondered if what she felt was either hope or despair. It seemed to be both. It was despairful to die like that, but she was still hoping that everyone else will be safe. She couldn't know what will happen next, since she was going to die. All she could do was hoping for those who were still alive and despaired about her own fate.

The water level was now above her head. She couldn't breathe anymore. It's the first time that Suzu sincerely wished that an afterlife existed. Her wish had always been to die, but not like that. She always wanted to grow and die from old age, just like her first lover. With the long life she had, she didn't want at first to continue living into an afterlife. But now it was different. She really didn't want to die, and she wanted to be reunited with the ones she lost. Her family, her friends, her first lover, and…

The water had invaded her lungs. She felt her life slowly disappearing. The last image she had in her mind before being consumed by darkness was an image of Kouko.

* * *

Haru was horrified by Suzu's execution. She was looking at the gamester's corpse who was floating inside the water through the screen. Despite the horror she was feeling, Haru couldn't stop looking.

"You…it's all your fault. It's your fault, Queen!" Shiena suddenly shouted.

Haru blenched. She thought that Shiena was talking to her, but she discovered that it wasn't the case.

"Oh my, of course that I'm the queen. But I don't see how it's relevant right now…" Sumireko began to say.

Out of the blue, the brunette suddenly rushed toward Hanabusa, armed with what seemed to be a pencil. Haru noticed that there was blood on her bandages.

"Die! It's all the fault of the queen, the queen must die!" Shiena yelled.

Suddenly, Banba went in front of Sumireko and stopped the hacker.

"I can't let ya do that. Sumireko belongs to Mahiru." Shinya said. "And ya are ruining da stitches Mahiru kindly did to ya."

"Shut up! Get out of my way! It's all her fault, she's the traitor!"

"Oh my, you poor thing. You're so sadden by Shuto-san's death that you're now delirious. I think it's time for you to go back to sleep." Sumireko said coldly.

The lady approached from Shiena, who began to panic. Shinya was still holding her, restraining her.

"No, stay away from me, you monster!" Shiena shouted with terror.

Sumireko stopped just in front of her and raised her hand, before hitting Shiena's head. The hacker lost consciousness and Banba put her on her shoulder.

Haru felt it like a strike in her heart. The queen was responsible. It was all her fault. It was because of Haru if everyone died.

Kouko, Otoya, Hitsugi, Chitaru, Haruki, Nio, Suzu, they all died because of her. Their motives to kill, the reason why they were killed, it was all because they came to Class Black. And Class Black wouldn't have happen if it wasn't for Haru.

Everyone began to walk away. Sumireko passed near Haru, just to whisper her something.

"Did you see the truth? Did you accept the reality? Your faith means nothing here. You are no survivor, Ichinose-san. I'm the real survivor here. I'm the true queen."

Everything became dark inside Haru's mind. She couldn't have faith anymore. There was no hope here. All she could felt right now was pure despair invading her soul.

 _Remaining survivors:_   _7_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you despair yet? Painful reminder of DR3? It was a really long chapter, but I didn't want to do two more chapter since I wanted to end chapter 5 on chapter 40. 
> 
> RIP Suzu. RIP Haru's hope. RIP Shiena's sanity.
> 
> I must admit that I teared up a little while writing this chapter. It was so despair-inducing (and I liked it). I decided to drown Suzu in a labyrinth because it's fit her talent and her liking for swimming and bath.
> 
> Trivia: Suzu was originally supposed to die in chapter 4, with Kouko as the culprit. Since Kouko died in chapter 1, I decided to only faked Suzu's death in chapter 4 but still killed her in chapter 5. The original chapter 5 was completely different but I abandoned it.
> 
> (Outakke)
> 
> Haru: All the proofs pointed to Suzu-san being the culprit. But I'm sure she isn't tho, because faith.
> 
> Sumireko:...
> 
> Haru:...
> 
> Sumireko: Ok I'm done being Togami. I'll now be the protagonist *grow an ahoge*.
> 
> Haru: But...
> 
> Sumireko: Shut up I'm the real queen.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked chapter 5 and that you aren't too much despaired. Because the despair is only beginning...See you next time!


	41. Chapter 6: Conspiracy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: slight spoiler for Danganronpa 3 the anime.

_Everything was dark. Pure darkness was surrounding her. No, it wasn't quite right. The darkness she saw was merely a piece of clothed tied around her head, covering her eyes. She was blindfolded._

_She tried to move, in vain. It seemed that she was tied up, probably on a chair. She heard some muffled noises, which meant she wasn't alone. She tried to talk to them, but she couldn't. Something was covering her mouth too. She was gagged._

_Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching from her. No, it wasn't from her, but it was near her. The footsteps stopped. Couple of seconds later, she heard a scream of pain, followed by another one, an again another one. It was a real symphony of cry of pain. In total, she heard nine screams, and they all seemed to belong to girls who had a familiar voice for her._

_The screams suddenly stopped. The footsteps came back and went toward her. She couldn't help herself from being afraid. She didn't know what this person was about to do to her. With all the screams of pain she heard, it couldn't be good._

_"You seem scared. I didn't know you were able to feel emotions. Well, it will make things more interesting. It wouldn't have been fun to make someone emotionless fall into despair."_

_This voice, she knew it. But she was unable to fully recognise it. She suddenly felt a hand stroking her hair, which gave her goosebumps. Then, she heard the same voice whispered into her ear._

_"I know what your hope is. Or rather, who gives you hope. I'm going to destroy your hope, I'll make her fell into the deepest despair. And you'll follow her."_

_She felt something that was pressed against her head, which seemed to be a helmet. Suddenly, she felt an unbearable pain in her head and uttered a scream similar of those she heard earlier._

Tokaku woke up brusquely. What an awful nightmare. She sat in the bed, noticing that she was heavily sweating.

The blue haired didn't understand the meaning of her dream. Who were those nine people she heard scream? Who was this person who seemed to have abducted them? And when she talked her hope, did she mean…

Worried, Tokaku turned back to look at Haru. The red-pinkish haired girl was lying beside her in the bed, sleeping quietly. She couldn't help herself from contemplating Haru. It made her heart racing and her body warmer. Tokaku couldn't understand what she felt when she looked at her, but one thing was sure. Haru was important to her and she considered her to be her hope.

Prior to meeting her, Tokaku's life was bland. She could barely felt any emotion. But since she met Haru, she felt for the first time since a long time some form of happiness, and even desire to change her life. She wanted to stay with Haru forever, even if they escaped this place. Haru's kindness and optimism was what saved her from her lack of faith in life.

But unfortunately, Haru had lost her own hope and faith. The despair got the best of Haru. It's been almost one week since Suzu's execution and Haru was still not over it. It was painful for Tokaku to see her in such a despairful state. But the most painful for Tokaku was to be unable to comfort Haru. She wasn't good with words, she wasn't optimistic, and she certainly wasn't a really hopeful person. But, despite the fact that she felt quite helpless about the current situation, Tokaku didn't surrender to despair yet. She still wanted to save Haru just like Haru saved her.

Tokaku laid back in the bed. With some hesitation, she snuggled against Haru and wrapped her arms around her. Her intention was to comfort Haru, but she knew deep down that she was the one who needed comfort.

* * *

Like usual, Tokaku was the first one who woke up. She went to the bathroom to take a quick shower to wash of her sweat, before putting her school uniform. Haru had woken up meanwhile. But, she remained in the bed. Since the last class trial, Haru refused to leave her bed for most of the time. The only reason why she got out from her bed was to go to the bathroom.

The blue haired girl went back to the bedroom and gazed at Haru.

"Ichinose…" she called softly.

Haru rolled back in the bed to look at Tokaku. The blue haired girl felt a deep grief when she saw Haru's gaze. Her eyes seemed so empty, almost like she was dead from the inside. To see Haru in such a depressive state was quite painful for Tokaku.

"Tokaku-san…" Haru replied weakly.

"I…I'm going to cafeteria to take breakfast. Do you want to come with me?"

The red-pinkish haired girl sighed, before turned back to lay back in the bed.

"Haru is…too tired. Sorry."

Tokaku clenched her fist. She didn't like to feel so powerless, but it's not like she could force Haru to come with her.

"I see. Then, I'll go and grabbed something to eat for you too, like usual. It shouldn't be long."

Haru didn't answer. With some sorrow, Tokaku left the dorm room and locked the door with her key.

"Azuma. What a coincidence. I was just about to go see you."

The blue haired girl turned back to face the person who was talking to her. Shiena was in the middle of the corridor, gazing at her. The brunette wasn't wearing her jacket and tie, only her white shirt that was badly buttoned and wrinkled. Her hair was undone and she was now wearing an eye-patch, with a bandage on her cheek. She looked like someone who desperately needed to go to sleep and take care of herself.

"What do you want, Kenmochi?"

"I want to talk with you. In private. Come with me in my room."

"But I was about to go to the cafeteria…"

"It won't be long."

Tokaku hesitated. Shiena didn't seem really right in her head. Just like Haru, the hacker had been deeply affected by Suzu's death. But unlike Haru, who became depressed, Shiena became even more obsessed with her goal to find the traitor. She had converted her pain and sadness into motivation to achieve her goal, which seemed to have made her slightly crazy.

"Why don't you come in my room instead? You could talk with Ichinose too…"

"No! It's only with you that I want to talk. You're the only one I can trust." Shiena insisted.

The blue haired girl wasn't sure to understand. How could she be the only one the brunette could trust? It seemed that if she wanted to know, she had to accept her proposition. Anyway, it's not like Shiena was a threat to her.

"Ok, but not too long." Tokaku finally agreed.

The hacker seemed relieved and she went back to her room, followed by Tokaku. Went they were both inside, Shiena closed the door and locked it.

Tokaku was surprised by the state of the dorm room. If it was just for the many empty bags of potato chips and noodle cups scattered on the floor, she wouldn't have been surprise, since it was in a similar state that Shiena left the sitting room. She was surprised because of the unusual and rather creepy objects in the room.

On the table, Tokaku noticed a bloody pair of scissors, a toy-looking gun, a bloody bucket with dumbbells in it and a bloody scalpel. These were all the murder weapons. Some of the clues they found during the investigations were also scattered on the table.

"I've something to show you. It's in my bedroom." Shiena said. "Come."

A little bit suspicious, Tokaku followed her in the bedroom. This time, what she discovered was even more disturbing.

A lot of pictures and pieces of paper were fixed on the wall, with red strings linked them. There was picture of each Class Black's students and the teacher, with a woman Tokaku didn't know. Shiena suddenly handed her what seemed to be a hat made in aluminum paper. She was currently wearing one.

"Here, wear this. You don't know the extent of  _their_  power.  _They_  could perhaps be mind-readers too."

Well, it surely didn't start well. Tokaku really didn't have a good feeling about this, but she still decided to go along with Shiena's request and wore the aluminium hat. The hacker then took something on her nightstand and put it on her face. It was her glasses. Tokaku noticed that the left glass was missing. She also noticed a laptop on the bed.

"So, Kenmochi, can you explain to me how I'm the only one you can trust?"

"I discovered your darkest secret while analysing the crypt data on the USB key."

"Huh? Not even I know what it is…I thought it was my talent."

"Well, I know. And you're wrong. Your darkest secret is that you never killed. Am I right?"

"You…yes, it's true. I've never killed. I don't know if it was my darkest secret though."

"How ironic for the SMSL Assassin!"

"But how it makes me the person you can trust the most? It's not like I'm the only one here who never killed…"

"You're wrong! Except Ichinose, everyone else in Class Black is an assassin!"

Tokaku was kind of surprise. She knew that Otoya, Hitsugi and Chitaru were also assassins, but she didn't know about the others. Well, it explained why almost everyone here had a rotten smell.

"So…you're also an assassin?" Tokaku asked, incredulous.

"I'm as much as you an assassin. I actually never killed too, but since I part of an organisation that carries out assassinations, it seems that I'm considered an assassin. This is why I can only trust you. Because unlike the others, I know that you never killed."

"But what about Ichinose…"

"Not now. I'll tell you everything later. First I need to explain to you the truth I established."

The hacker approached from the wall a pointed the picture of the woman Tokaku didn't know. It was woman who seemed in her late twenties, with long brown hair, pinkish eyes and she was wearing a suit.

"This is Yuri Meichi, Myojo Academy's chairwoman. According to what I read on the data, she mysteriously disappeared. She was also the legal guardian of a certain Kuzunoha Nio. I'm not sure if it's Hashiri, because if it's the case, why would she have changed her family name…"

Tokaku blenched. Kuzunoha, it was the name on an assassin clan, the rivals of the Azuma clan. Could Nio really be a Kuzunoha? It could explain why Tokaku despised her so much, it was instinctive.

"Well, Yuri wasn't just the chairwoman. She's the leader of a secret organisation that controls the world from the shadow. This organisation, it's the Bee People! The women of this clan are in fact some kind of mutant who possessed a pheromone similar to those of queen bees, which allowed them to mind-control people and make them their worker bees. But, in order to have this pheromone, they need to have their life in danger and survive a lot of time. This is why they are targeted since their childhood and have to go through a lot of assassination attempts."

Tokaku was listening to Shiena, having the impression that she was talking about some kind of shitty sci-fi movie. The brunette suddenly pointed a picture of Monokuma.

"But! There also have another powerful organisation working in the shadow. The SHSL Despair! The sole purpose of this group it to make the world fall into despair and destroy hope. Monokuma belong to this group, and I believe that Mizorogi Ataru too. They were interested into the queen bee power, and they wanted a person with this ability to join them. But since the chairwoman was too powerful for them, they get rid of her. It's in fact Yuri's replacement that they chose. They used her hatred for assassins and some kind of brainwash video to make her fall into despair. When she became the new leader of the clan, she kidnapped us with the help of Mizorogi and Hashiri, because we were all assassins and potential Hope's Peak Academy's students. It was a way to both have her revenge against assassins and destroying hope."

"Ok…did you read all of that in the USB keys?"

"Well, not everything. All I found was that Hashiri was a worker bee, the chairwoman had disappeared, the queen bee power and the SHSL Despair. I just put the pieces together and used logic to understand the truth. This is probably why Shuto killed Hashiri, she had discovered that she was controlled by the Queen Bee. And since I know too much, Hashiri must have been sent to kill me and Shuto protected me. Oh, and I also read something about the SMSL Despair. It's the person behind the killing game. It must be the Queen Bee, and the traitor."

"Queen Bee? If I remember, you called Hanabusa 'Queen'. So she's the traitor?"

"No, I was wrong. Hanabusa considers herself a queen, but she isn't the Queen Bee. Otherwise, she wouldn't have allow Banba to take care once again of my injury after the fifth class trial. And plus, she's an assassin. No, the Queen Bee is…"

Shiena suddenly pointed another picture, one of the Class Black's students, which shocked the blue haired girl.

"Ichinose Haru! She's the Queen Bee. She's the only one who isn't an assassin, and I read that she was targeted since her childhood by assassins. She the one behind Class Black's killing game, because she wanted to get revenge on assassins. The SHSL Despair took advantage of this and brainwashed Ichinose to make her fall into despair and turned her into the SMSL Despair!"

"This…this can't be true. This is insane!"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it must be the truth. Ichinose is the one behind this killing game. She did this in order to get her revenge and destroy hope. Mizorogi must be the one behind Monokuma's mask. And she must have used her ability to make Hashiri her pawn. Well, she's brainwashed, so it isn't really her fault, but we don't have a choice. For our own survival, we need to ki…"

Tokaku suddenly grabbed Shiena's collar, infuriated by what she said.

"Haru isn't the traitor! What you're saying is ridiculous! If you tried to attack her, I'm going to kill you!" Tokaku yelled.

The brunette looked utterly terrified by her threat. Tokaku released her collar and Shiena fell on the floor. She then crawled and head to a corner, shaking in fear. The blue haired girl kind of felt bad for her. But she was still mad at her for planning to kill Haru. But, she had a hard time to believe that Shiena could actually kill someone.

"You…it's too late. She already got you. You're under her control, you're…a worker bee." Shiena mumbled.

"Kenmochi, you're crazy. Those USB keys must be Monokuma's trap. I don't want to hurt you, but if you really intend to kill Ichinose, I'll have no choice but taking you down."

Shiena continued to shiver in fear. It really made Tokaku felt like she was somehow the bad guy.

"No…I can't trust anyone. The only ones I could trust…are dead. It's over…the bee people…"

Tokaku removed the aluminum hat from her head and drop it on the floor. She had lost enough time listening to Shiena's delirium. Queen bee power? What an absurdity. Maybe the Highlander syndrome was a real thing, but this queen bee thing surely wasn't. She had faith and trust Haru, there was no way that she would doubt her over a dumb theory from a girl who lost her sanity.

While Shiena continued to mumble other nonsense, Tokaku left the dorm room and headed to the cafeteria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiena: It's a conspiracy!
> 
> So no, Sumireko isn't the new MC, it's Tokaku. Haru's too despaired to me the protag anymore.
> 
> What's the meaning behind Tokaku's dream? Who's the SMSL Despair? And is Shiena right?
> 
> Fun fact: Haru doesn't have pigtails. Her hair is naturally like this. It was confirmed in an official concept art from Kouga Yun. And I always knew it!


	42. Chapter 6: Assassins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akuma no Ronpa is now officially my longest serie, it just beated The bully and the bullied (it's on fanfiction.net) ! Yeah! And it's not over.

When Tokaku arrived at the cafeteria, she had the unpleasantness to see Sumireko there. Not wanting to lose her temper frivolously, the blue haired girl tried to ignore her and headed to the kitchen to take her and Haru's breakfast.

"Azuma-san, would you mind coming here please? There have things that I would like to discuss with you." Hanabusa called her.

Tokaku stopped walking. She really didn't want to talk with the lady, but at the same time avoiding the confrontation would make her feel like she was somehow acting cowardly.

"It's rare to see you all by yourself. Is Ichinose-san not feeling well?" Sumireko suddenly asked.

This time, the blue haired girl had no hesitation. She knew it was only a provocation from Hanabusa, but she couldn't stay silent when the lady dared to say Haru's name so lightly. Tokaku turned back and went to Sumireko's table. Banba was there, but Tokaku didn't mind her presence.

"And who's fault do you think it is? It's yours! You're the one who make Ichinose feels that way!" the blue haired girl accused.

"Oh my, how shameful. It's really the way of those who are weak, to blame others for everything bad that happen to you." Sumireko replied patronizing. "Ichinose-san is the only one at fault, she's feeling that way because she's too weak to accept reality. She had too much faith into her delusion, and now that it broke, she can't accept it. How pathetic. And I thought she was a fellow survivor…"

"Shut up! You know nothing about her! You don't know her past, what she went through…I won't allow you to insult her!" Tokaku replied angrily.

Hanabusa glared at her with what seemed to be surprise. She then giggled slightly.

"How ludicrous. An assassin such as yourself who shows such emotions, it's almost touching." the lady said with condescension.

Tokaku lost her temper. She grabbed Sumireko's collar and raised her fist.

"You know, I accepted the contempt against me because I'm an assassin, I found it normal that people despise me because of that. But can't accept it anymore. You're like me, isn't it? You're also an assassin, you hypocrite…"

"Don't…don't touch her…Hanabusa-san…she gave the relic to me, not you…" Mahiru weakly protested.

The blue haired girl could see that Banba was about to push her away, or at least tried to do something against her. Tokaku released Hanabusa's collar and turned back, to face Mahiru. Her fist was still raised and ready to strike.

"You're also an assassin! I warn you, if you try to attack me, I'll have no problem hurting you." Tokaku threatened.

Mahiru raised quickly her hands and hid her face behind, while she uttered a weak scared cry. When she saw her acting so helplessly, Tokaku couldn't imagine herself hurting her. At least, not during daytime. The blue haired girl regained slightly her composure and lowered her fist. She then noticed that Sumireko had rose up, gazing at her with a cold yet threatening look.

"Please, do not compare yourself with me, I've nothing to do with a lowlife such as yourself. In fact, I despise assassins." Sumireko declared.

"But…you're an assassin, right?" Tokaku asked, confused. "Could it be…Kenmochi was wrong?"

"If you consider that someone who has killed as an assassin, I suppose you can call me that." the lady replied. "But I'm no near similar to the likes of you. I'm not a hitman. I'm a survivor. I kill when it's necessary for my own survival. Killing only for money or pleasure is so disgraceful."

"Who are you calling disgraceful?"

Tokaku recognised this irritating voice. She turned back, to discover that Isuke was there, behind Mahiru.

"Can I deduce that you are a hitman, Inukai-san?" Sumireko asked with an annoyed look.

"Isuke kills only for money. Money is all that matter."

"Oh my, how greedy."

"Isuke doesn't want to hear that from a rich girl. You can't understand. You're born with a silver spoon in your mouth…"

"More like with a target in my back." Sumireko replied bitterly. "I'm not just rich. I'm the daughter of a powerful businessman, my father has a lot of enemies. What do you think his enemies would do to harm him? Attacking what's the most precious to him, his daughter. I spent my childhood being attacked by assassins like you, by those greedy killers paid by my father's enemies, who were just pawns into their hands."

The pink haired girl didn't reply. It didn't seem because she was feeling bad or uneasy, more because she didn't know what to say to this.

"But, I'm not the kind to feel sorry for myself. Even if I'm not particularly fond of assassins, a lady must treat everyone equally regardless of her personal preferences. I do not regret my past, since it's what made me stronger. I wouldn't have been the person I am now without that." Sumireko added.

"You say that, but you clearly show your preference for Banba-chan. If what I heard from Azuma-san is true, she's also an assassin." Isuke began to say, before she started to stroke Mahiru's hair. The silver haired girl shivered slightly. "But still, Isuke finds it hard to believe that such a wimpy girl is able to kill. It must be Shinya-san…she does look like a bloodthirsty killer…"

"No, that's not true! Shinya…isn't like that. I'm…" Mahiru weakly opposed.

"Inukai-san, I would appreciate if you refrain yourself from touching Banba-san. She's clearly not at ease." Sumireko said with a menacing glare.

Isuke didn't seem to be worried about Sumireko's threat, but she still decided to recoil a little bit from Banba. Hearing about Hanabusa's past recalled to Tokaku something Shiena told her. The brunette had told her that Haru was from a clan who had the custom to target the girls of the clan with assassination attempts since their childhood. It seemed that Hanabusa had a similar past. What if the hacker made a mistake? Shiena thought that the traitor is someone who wanted revenge for the fact that assassins tried to kill her during her childhood and that this person is known as the Queen. Could it mean that the traitor is in fact Sumireko? She admitted to know the chairwoman, who is, according to the brunette, part of this clan. It could mean that the lady is also related to this clan. And she herself referred to her as a queen.

"And just so you know, even if Banba-san is an assassin, I do not care. I know she has nothing to do with those I loathe and I'm sure she has her own reason to be one." Sumireko added.

"Isn't it just because you want to get into her pants?" Isuke replied with taunt.

"Well, I wouldn't mind…" the lady said while slightly blushing.

"But…I don't…have pants. But if you want, you can…wear one of my skirts…" Mahiru replied shyly.

Tokaku found that the way Sumireko was looking at Banba looked like a predator who appreciated the sigh of her prey. Isuke giggled a little bit at Mahiru's naivety.

"Anyway, my intention wasn't to offend you, Inukai-san. I was merely explaining a point to Azuma-san. I do apologise if you took my comment personally."

"If you think that Isuke cares for what others said about me…it's more insulting for my mama. He's the one who trained me to be an assassin, he's a successful hitman. He wants me to succeed him, but…Isuke doesn't really like to be an assassin. Not because I've a problem with killing, but…Isuke doesn't like to see blood or hearing people scream. It's really annoying. This is why Isuke wants to earn a lot of money, so mama and me could retire and live happy together."

"Oh my, what a loyal and dedicated daughter you are. Doing something you hate just for the sake of your mother, it's kind of admirable." Sumireko said in a tone of voice that seemed both sarcastic and honest.

"Isuke would do anything for her family. Anything." The pink haired girl with a gloomy expression.

Tokaku noticed that the time was flying. She lost too much time with those people she didn't really care about rather to go take breakfast for Haru and her. But before she could go to the kitchen, the screen suddenly turned on.

"Hello, my dear students! How are you doing? Me, not to well. You know why? Because you bastards aren't killing each other! It's been a week since you're making me waiting, I begin to be impatient and bored. I'm almost about to just kill you all and finished the game…but it would be funny, right? I'm sure it's not what you want either. This is why I left this morning a little gift in your respective room." Monokuma said.

"A gift you say? Are you perhaps talking about the black envelope I found on my nightstand?" Sumireko asked.

"You too?!" Isuke exclaimed.

"I…me too…. Mahiru replied.

Tokaku was confused. What black envelope? She didn't see that in her room…well, it was Haru's room, but still, it was weird. She remembered that when she went to Shiena's room, there have a lot of thing scattered on her coffee table. If she recalled well, there have some black paper on it, probably the envelope.

"But the envelope only has some empty fancy paper inside. What are we supposed to do with it?" Isuke asked.

"It's an advance notice. You give it to someone and then you have a certain number of times to kill that person." Monokuma replied.

"I'm not sure to understand…is that supposed to be a motive?" Sumireko asked.

"Yes, it's the sixth motive. If you succeed to kill the target before the time limit, you won't have to attend the class trial and you'll still have your wish and be able to leave the school. But only if you killed the target after giving her the notice, otherwise you'll be treated as a regular blackened." Monokuma explained.

"So we can kill openly without being executed?" Isuke asked.

"Only if it's the target, after giving the notice and before the time limit. You'll have 24 hours to kill the target after you give her the notice." Monokuma said.

"And what will happen…to the others…if someone succeed?" Mahiru asked.

"Well, they will stay here and continue the regular killing game."

Tokaku really had a bad feeling about this.

"But…I don't think that I've receive this envelope." The blue haired girl said.

"I said that I left it in your respective room. You know, the room you never use?" Monokuma replied.

"So we can conclude that Ichinose-san didn't receive this envelope. Interesting." Sumireko commented with a smirk.

Monokuma suddenly showed a wicked grin.

"She doesn't need an advance notice. Let me confirm it with you. The target is none other than Ichinose Haru!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this story finally become more "akuma no riddle-ish" than "danganronpa-ish". The advance notice are here! And Haru is the target! Does it remind you something?
> 
> Lot of interpretation about Sumireko in this chapter. Now that it's reveal in one of the Koakuma no Riddle semi-official doujin that Shiena isn't an assassin, I come to the conclusion that maybe some of the characters weren't actual assassins, maybe "assassin" is just a title they gained when they enter class black because they accepted to take part into a killing game with assassination attempts. Let's not forget that Tokaku never killed but she's still considered as an assassin, so assassin don't necesarily equal killing people in AnR.
> 
> The confirmed assassin (or ex-assassin) who are actual assassin are Isuke, Kouko, Haruki, Chitaru and Hitsugi. Otoya and maybe Banba are serial killer, which is not exactly the same thing. It's confirm that Haru isn't an assassin, and probably Shiena too. There's nothing in canon that prove weither or not Nio, Suzu and Hanabusa are assassins outside Myojo. Nio come from an assassin clan, but she could be in the same situation as Tokaku (which I doubt). Suzu is probably the less assassin-ish character, even with her past known nothing prove that she killed before. About Sumireko, it's the same. We just know that she was victimed of a lot of assassination attempted when she was younger and that she had to survive. So I guess she has killed before to protect herself, which doesn't make her an assassin. Why would she be an assassin? She's fithly rich, and after what she went throught because of assassins, it doesn't seem logical to me. And in the manga, we learn that she planned to go to class black since she's a kid to defeat Haru and she knew the chairwoman (she even called her sensei).
> 
> And in Koakuma no Riddle 5, when Otoya learned that Shiena was a normal girl and asked Nio why she was in class black, Nio said that it was good to have diversity in the class, which mean in my opinion that they aren't all actual assassins, they are just called like that because they accept to do an assassination attempt.
> 
> Sorry for the rant, but I needed to express my opinion. Feel free to tell me your opinion too if you want in a comment.
> 
> So, who's going to die?


	43. Chapter 6: Target

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter was supposed to be longer, but since I found that too much important things would have happen in a single chapter, I decided to split it in half. Otherwise it would have too long and rushed.

Tokaku didn't even go to her old dorm room to retrieve her black envelope. It not like she will need it anyway. There was no way she would ever try to kill Haru. She was her hope. Not even the purest despair could make her kill Haru.

It was with a heavy heart that the blue haired girl announced to Haru the sixth motive. The red-pinkish haired girl listened to her quietly, sitting on her bed. She barely seemed shocked by what she learned, which kind of sadden Tokaku. It was like Haru was so used to be a target that she didn't even mind the current situation.

"…and it's not over. Monokuma said that if you kill someone by self-defence, you won't have to participate to the class trial and you'll be allowed to escape, and you could make a wish. He said it was to give you a fair chance…that bastard…"

Tokaku was furious about this situation. Monokuma gave a convincing motive to a bunch of assassins to kill a normal girl, a girl who went through a lot of assassination attempts in the past. It was beyond cruelty. It really seemed like he wanted to get rid of Haru. But of course, Tokaku won't allow it. She was determined to protect Haru.

"I see…It doesn't look good this time huh…" Haru said weakly.

Tokaku hated the look in Haru's eyes. Her gaze was empty and hopeless, like someone who gave up on living.

"Don't worry, Ichinose. I'll protect you, I'll defeat anyone who tried to harm you…"

Haru suddenly rose up, giving a gloomy look to the blue haired girl.

"No, Tokaku-san, leave it to me. Haru knows what should be done."

Without saying more, the SMSL Survivor headed to the dining room. Worried, Tokaku followed her, to discover with shock the object her roommate was holding.

"Ichinose, what are you doing…!?"

Haru was slowly walking toward the blue haired girl with a kitchen knife in her hand.

"It's the only way, it has to end."

The red-pinkish haired girls were now in front of her. Tokaku didn't know what to do, she wasn't even sure of what was Haru's intention. Did she plan to kill her to escape? But it wouldn't be a self-defence act. Even if she wasn't looking for dying, the blue haired girl was unable to move. She was somehow ready to accept whatever Haru had planned to do to her. But still, she wanted to try at least to understand why.

"Ichinose…don't do something you could regret."

"Don't worry, I won't regret it. It's the best option to solve all this mess."

Haru really seemed resolved to whatever she had planned to do. Tokaku could see in her eyes that she wouldn't probably don't change her mind easily. The blue haired girl sighed, hesitating to defend herself or to let Haru do what she wanted.

Suddenly, Haru grabbed the blade and handed the handle to Tokaku.

"Here, Tokaku-san. Take it." she said with a sad smile.

The blue haired girl wasn't sure to understand. It didn't seem like Haru wanted to kill her. Instinctively, Tokaku took the kitchen knife, still wondering what Haru's intention was.

"Do you remember? It's with this very own knife that you tried to kill Haru, just after the first motive was revealed. You never bothered to return it to the kitchen."

Haru became emotionless, while she grabbed the blade again, to align it toward her throat. With terror, Tokaku started to understand Haru's goal.

"Finish what you started. Kill me, Tokaku-san."

The blue haired girl couldn't believe what she heard. She couldn't accept this. There was no way she could fulfil this request.

"Are you out of your mind!? I will never do that! I sworn to protect you, how could I kill you?!" Tokaku protested.

"It's the only way. All of this is because of me. Everyone died because of me and will keep dying because of my very own existence. I can't stand to see people dying for me anymore. This is why you have to kill me, to end all of this. There's only you who I could ask for this."

"Never! I won't be your murderer! Why would your death do any good?!"

"Tokaku-san, if you kill me, you won't have to go to a class trial. You'll be allowed to escape and your wish will be granted. I think I could accept to die for this."

"Not me! My wish is to escape together with you! What about all the people who died for you? You said that you need to survive in order to honor their sacrifice! How could you ask to be killed!?"

This sentence seemed to have an effect on Haru. Tokaku hoped that Haru would have second thoughts, but her roommate suddenly gazed at her with a cold glare. She had the eyes of someone who seemed dead in the inside.

"You are right, Haru is under a undying magic spell. But, what if you were right, when you called it a curse? I know they all died for my sake, because of me…this is why I has to end. My life only brings misery to myself and others. At least let me use the life they all protected to save you. Kill me and escape from here, and wish for this killing game to end."

"No…it's not right…why should I do that!? My life isn't more worth than yours!"

"You're wrong. Your life as more meaning than you thought. Haru wants to save everyone. Usually this kind of wish shouldn't work, but the situation is different. If you kill me there would have no class trial, which mean nobody should be executed. Monokuma said he wouldn't allow a wish that would change the number of death required, but if nobody has to die, it should work. You can wish to stop the killing game!"

"One person would die, you. This is why I can't do that. And those people you want to save, they don't worth it. Everyone here except you is an assassin!"

Tokaku hoped that it will make Haru changed her mind. She went through so many assassination attempts, there was no way she would sacrifice her life to save assassins. She should hate them…Tokaku suddenly recalled something Shiena told her, that Haru was the traitor. Could it been why Haru keep saying that everyone died because of her? Could she really be behind all of this? No, the blue haired girl couldn't accept that as the truth. She wanted to believe in Haru, there was no way Haru would have done this.

"Tokaku-san, you are also an assassin, but that doesn't mean you are a bad person. It could be the same for the others. Kaminaga-san, Namatame-san, Haruki-san, Suzu-san, they were also well-intended people…"

"It doesn't mean the others are! Remember what kind of person Takechi were! I'm not like them! I'm an assassin only by name. In fact, I…never killed. The only reason I'm considered an assassin is because of my family. The truth is, I can't kill. I'm curse. So even if I wanted I couldn't kill you…no. Even if I wasn't curse, even if I could kill, I would never kill you!" Tokaku yelled.

"Tokaku…please…just do it…"

Haru pressed the tip of the blade against her throat, right were her carotid was. Just a slight movement from Tokaku could cause her death.

"Ha…Ichinose…"

The blue haired girl felt nervous and afraid. Her hands were about to shake, which could make her accidentally pressed even more the knife. Her eyes met Haru's gaze. The red-pinkish haired girl's eyes weren't normal, Tokaku could see madness inside of them. To be more precise, she could see desperation through her gaze. She suddenly recoiled and threw the knife away.

"No! This isn't you, you're not like your normal self! It's despair that make you act like that. Snap out of it! What you are asking doesn't make sense!" Tokaku shouted.

"You're right. You can't kill me…now. You didn't gave me your advance notice…"

"That's not what I meant! I don't want to kill you! You…you're important to me, I care about you!"

"But…if someone else kills Haru, the killing game won't end…"

"It won't happen! I'll definitely protect you, and we'll both survive and escape together! Because, I…"

Tokaku suddenly felt her heart racing. She grabbed Haru's shoulders and looked at her in the eyes, while her cheeks became warmer.

"Ichinose, I…I think that I…I lo…"

A sudden knock at the door interrupted the blue haired girl. She released Haru's shoulders and looked at the door. But before she could make a move, the red-pinkish haired girl headed to the door.

"What is this?" Haru wondered, her eyes looking at the bottom of the door.

Tokaku looked at the floor. What seemed to be a red piece of paper had been slipped under the door. Haru approached of it and leaned to grab it. The blue haired girl suddenly had a bad feeling about that.

"Ichinose, look out! Get away from it!"

But it was too late. The door brusquely opened, smashing the SMSL Survivor right in the face. Haru fell on the floor, inert. Tokaku tried to help her, but the person who opened, or rather kicked the door open, had been quicker. The blue haired girl barely managed to dodge her knife. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her arm. The blade had cut her. Tokaku grabbed firmly her wound to stop the bleeding and gazed angrily at her attacker.

"How scary…just kidding. Is it really that, the SMSL Assassin? It's almost funny how ridiculous it is." Isuke said with a mocking smile.

"Inukai! What are you doing!?" Tokaku shouted.

"Isn't it obvious? Isuke came for Haru-chan's life."

"You can't! You didn't give her the advance notice, you…"

"Ah? But I did. Didn't you see the advance notice over there? I slipped it under the door." Isuke replied.

"But…it's not a black envelope, you're not respecting the rules!"

"The envelope is merely a container, the advance notice is what's inside. But how could you know? You didn't even bother retrieving yours, you low tier assassin!"

The pink haired girl suddenly rushed toward her and kicked her in the stomach. Tokaku fell on the floor, coughing.

"How pathetic. You should just stay on the floor. If you behave, Isuke will maybe be merciful and spare your miserable life."

"You…bitch. I'll never let you…kill Ichinose." Tokaku said while managing with difficulty to stand up.

"How stubborn. Very well, if you want to play thought, Isuke will gladly kill you too…"

"No!" Haru suddenly yelled.

Hardly, Haru managed to get on her feet, while she supported herself on the wall. Blood was coming from her forehead.

"Isuke-san, don't kill her! If you want to kill Haru, do it, but please, spare Tokaku-san."

"Ichinose, don't…"

"I'm fine with that. If you don't fight back and behave, I'll let live the annoyance over there."

Isuke headed toward Haru and raised her arm.

"You poor thing, you're bleeding. It must have hurt. Don't worry, Isuke will free you from your pain…with death!"

The kick-boxer suddenly grabbed Haru's neck and began to strangle her. A pained expression appeared on Haru's face, which caused a great despair to Tokaku. Haru wasn't fighting back, and Tokaku knew that she was doing it for her sake. The blue haired girl pressed her wound despite the pain to make herself bleed. When she made herself bleed enough to create a puddle of blood in her hand, Tokaku rushed toward Isuke.

"You annoyance, you still don't learn your place. Isuke will take care to beat you up…"

The pink haired girl released Haru and turned back, ready to attack, but she couldn't predict what Tokaku was about to do. The blue haired girl threw blood drops in her face, which landed in Isuke's eyes.

"Aah!" Isuke groaned while closing her eyes and wiping her face.

Tokaku took advantage of the pink haired girl temporarily blindness to grabbed Haru's hand and she ran way the faster she can. She kept running, while she suddenly heard Isuke laughed maniacally in the dorm room.

* * *

Tokaku hid inside one of the storage room with Haru. It's been a while since they are hidden there. The blue haired girl had used her tie as a bandage to stop her injury from bleeding. Haru's wound was minor, it already stopped bleeding. The red-pinkish haired girl just had to press her handkerchief on her forehead for a couple of minutes to stop the bleeding.

Tokaku understood the true meaning behind the sixth motive. Monokuma probably didn't expect it to end with Haru dying and no class trial. His real goal had to be to make Tokaku killed to protect Haru or die trying. This way, it would be judged as a regular murder and a class trial would occur. Basically, the real person who was targeted by this motive was the blue haired girl.

"All we have to do is to hide until the time limit is over and hope that Inukai will give up without the motive." Tokaku said.

"Hope…bad things always happen when you hoped." Haru mumbled.

"Ichinose…!"

"It's true. Hope doesn't exist here. We have to accept the despair. If we go back to your dorm room, you could retrieve your advance notice…"

"Forget about this, I'll never kill you! If I use my advance notice, the only reason would be to allow you to kill me by self-defence…"

Haru looked at her with such a gloomy expression. She seemed truly horrified by Tokaku's suggestion.

"Killing…Tokaku-san? Never…Haru would never do that. To many people died because of me, I can't…"

The blue haired girl remembered that Haru blamed herself for the death of her classmates. Tokaku couldn't see how it could be her fault, but Haru's insistence about that was kind of suspicious. But because she could think more about it, she suddenly heard the door opened.

"Ichinose, stay quiet. Someone's here." she whispered.

Tokaku looked around, searching for a weapon. She finally spotted a box cutter and took it. Footsteps could be heard in the storage room, but they were light.

" _It can't be Inukai, not with her high heels…_ " she thought.

Cautiously, Tokaku stood up, while indicating to Haru to do the same. She wanted to leave the room quietly. But when they were able to open the door, the blue haired girl heard the footsteps behind her, followed by a noise of someone heavy that was dragged on the floor.

"Oh, isn't it Ichinose and Azuma. Yo!"

Tokaku blenched. They were discovered. But that voice, she recognised it, and it wasn't good sign. The blue haired girl turned back. She ended up facing Banba, who was smiling at them with a smile that showed too much teeth, while holding a heavy sledgehammer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, facing Banba with a sledgehammer in a room, with that kind of motive...it ain't good.
> 
> "There was no way she would ever try to kill Haru" uh...*cough* episode 11 & 12 of AnR *cough*
> 
> Isuke gave her advance notice! How it will end? who's gonna die? Will there have a sixth class trial?


	44. Chapter 6: For your sake

Immediately, Tokaku put herself in front of Haru, ready to intercept the silver haired girl's imminent attack, and unsheathed the box cutter's blade.

"Banba! You too, you're after Ichinose's life?! I won't let you kill her!"

Shinya suddenly stopped smiling. She looked at them with a confused expression.

"Uh? Killin' Ichinose? Why would I do dat?" Banba asked.

"Don't try to fool me! Why else would you be in this room and armed?" Tokaku replied.

Mahiru's split personality gave a glance to her sledgehammer, before showing her usual grin.

"It's da storage room here isn't? Where else would I've gone to retrieve my sweet heads' smasher?" Shinya replied with a slight yet disturbing giggled.

"And why would you need it now? Don't try to play dumb, what else could it be other than trying to kill Ichinose? It's because of the motive!" Tokaku accused.

"Geez, ya really seem to want me to try to kill her don'tcha? Do ya like to figh' so much?"

"No, I just want to protect Ichinose from assassins like you!"

Once again Shinya stopped smiling. Surprisingly, the silver haired girl almost seemed vexed by Tokaku's words.

"Do ya…really think I enjoy killin'? Dat I randomly kill people just for fun?"

Tokaku didn't dare to answer. She somehow had the feeling she triggered something she shouldn't have.

"Because I don't. All I did is for the sake of Mahiru. The poor girl went through a lot in the past, she has no one other than me…"

"What…what happened to Mahiru-san? And…what do you do for her sake?" Haru suddenly asked.

"Mahiru, she…she was locked for a long time when she was younger, and no one came to save her. This is why…I exist. I'm the one who saved her, but the damages are already done. This is why…I need to do it. The purpose of my existence is to save Mahiru…"

"So you kill…to protect Mahiru-san?" Haru asked.

"Yes, I kill when Mahiru asks me to. It is all for her sake. But…I would prefer if she tries to enjoy life in another way. Making friends, going to school…but it's not up to me. I just want her to be happy, by all means possible!"

"And you really think it worth killing people?" Haru insisted.

"Yes! I don't care who I've to kill, as long as it makes Mahiru happy! This is…the only way…I can protect her, it's the reason of my existence. I can't do otherwise…even if I want to. The least I can do is to try to find pleasure into doing my duty…"

Tokaku didn't like the look on the silver haired girl's face. She really looked insane, which wasn't a good thing in the current situation. But it looked like she had mistaken something. It seemed that the bloodthirsty one between the two Banba was in reality Mahiru, not Shinya. But still, Shinya was the strong one, so also the most dangerous.

"This is what I want to believe, but…this time I really hoped it wouldn't happen. I really want for Mahiru to make a friend and to learn how to trust people…but it can't be help. This is the kind of person she is now." Banba said.

Shinya seemed to have softened. Her gaze wasn't insane anymore, all Tokaku could into her amethyst eyes was desperation. Whatever Shinya had on her mind, it must bring her a lot of despair.

"What are you planning to do?" the blue haired girl asked. "Do you really not intent to attack Ichinose?"

"Hehe, who knows? For now I didn't receive any order to kill her, but Mahiru can be quite unpredictable sometimes. You'll see later…now I've a holy relic to retrieve. Seeya!"

Shinya put the sledgehammer on her shoulder and left the storage room. Tokaku couldn't understand what she meant by "holy relic", not that she cared. Her focus was all on her duty to protect Haru. But for that, she'll need to retrieve some of her weapons she left at the dormitory.

* * *

Cautiously, Tokaku went inside the dorm room. It seemed that Isuke wasn't here anymore. On her guard, the blue haired girl looked around just to be sure, and retrieved what she came for. It was her boots, she was so in a hurry to leave that she forgot them. Her weapons were hidden inside. It was way better than a box cutter to fight against the kick-boxer.

"We should go to your old room too." Haru said.

"Why?"

"So you could retrieve your advance notice…"

"No. Don't count on that. I already told you that I'm going to protect you no matter what! Now we need to leave and hide until the time limit is over."

Tokaku grabbed Haru's hand and began to walk rapidly, leaving the dormitory. She wanted to find a good hiding spot to avoid Isuke until the time limit ended. With Haru's current mental state, the blue haired girl couldn't leave her alone, and it would be hard to fight with Isuke if Haru was near them. So she preferred to hide.

" _Since how much time she gave her notice? Couple of hours? We need to hide for at least a day if we want to be safe…_ "

They arrived near the public bath. Since a corpse exploded in the bath, no one used it since the fourth class trial. Shinya seemed really annoyed by that, while the others seemed pretty much indifferent. It was almost only Suzu and Shinya who used the public bath anyway.

Tokaku intended to hide herself with Haru inside the locker room and barricading the door. But before she could went inside, she felt a presence behind her. Quickly, the blue haired girl turned back and managed to block Isuke's knife with hers. She then pushed her away and recoiled, standing in front of Haru.

"Inukai!" Tokaku shouted.

"You're still in my way, miss Annoyance. Isuke will have to kill you!"

"Don't you realised what's the true motive? It's not about Ichinose, it's about me!"

"Uh? The hell are you talking about? Don't try to fool me, Monokuma already confirmed that she's the target…"

"And why do you think he chose her? Because he knows that I'll protect her. Don't you see what his true intent is? He expects me to kill someone for Ichinose's sake so he could have a class trial. He manipulated all of you, the real target isn't Ichinose. It's all of those who will send an advance notice. You're my target! And be sure that I won't hesitate to become a blackened for her sake!"

The pink haired girl remained impassible for couple of second, before suddenly burst in laugh, which kind of worried Tokaku.

"You, killing someone? Haha, what a joke…" Isuke said between two laughs.

"What's so funny about this? I'm the SMSL Assassin! Monokuma chose Ichinose as a target because he knew I'll protect her by any means possible. If you don't want to get kill by me, give up!"

Isuke suddenly stopped laughing and gazed at Tokaku with a cold look.

"SMSL Assassin? Don't fuck with me! Assassin my ass, you fucking virgin! You're virgin assassin who never killed don't you!?"

The blue haired girl blenched. How did she know? Did Shiena tell her? No, why would she have done that? Did Isuke somehow have access to her darkest secret during the treasure hunt?

"Judging by your expression, Isuke must be right. What a joke. How a virgin assassin could be chose as the SMSL Assassin…it must be because you're from an assassin clan. You only got your title because of your family."

"How…what did you find during the treasure hunt? The second motive?!" Tokaku asked.

"Huh? You mean the darkest secrets? No, but now I assume it's your darkest secret. It makes sense. For an assassin to have never killed would be a secret you wouldn't want your enemies to know…too bad for you. Isuke knows it now and I won't be scared of you. You may be an Azuma but you're also just a stupid little girl!"

Isuke suddenly rush toward her, ready to stab her. Tokaku managed to block her attack and pushed her away.

"It's not because I never killed that I won't hesitate to do it now!"

"Don't make me laugh! You're cursed, remember? You can't kill me!" Isuke replied with a smirk.

Tokaku was even more shocked. How could she know that too? To have guessed that she never killed could be possible, but to also knew about the curse? It was way too much to be a mere deduction. No, the blue haired girl finally understood why she knew that much about her.

"You…you were listening at our door…?" Tokaku asked.

" ' In fact, I never killed. The only reason I'm considered an assassin is because of my family. The truth is, I can't kill. I'm cursed. So even if I wanted I couldn't kill you' …" Isuke said while ridiculously trying to imitate Tokaku's voice.

"You bitch…!"

"Hey, it's not like Isuke was purposefully listening. I wouldn't have heard if you didn't shout this. You can only blame yourself. It seems that Monokuma wants you death, since he knows your secret. He probably chose Haru as a target just to make you getting killed, not that Isuke cares. I'll kill both of you."

"No! If you killed Tokaku-san, you will become the blackened and could be executed!" Haru protested.

"Not if Isuke kills you too."

"You have no guaranty for that." Tokaku replied.

"Well, it worth the shot. If I kill you both, there would have no witnesses. Isuke will just have to fool everyone and win the class trial."

"The risk is too high, you're acting stupidly. You really want to put yourself in such a danger? Is your wish really that important? I bet it's something selfish…" the blue haired girl said.

This time, the pink haired girl looked truly annoyed by Tokaku's statement.

"No, it's not…Isuke needs that wish…to save my mother. For my family's sake, Isuke is ready to kill anyone and take whatever risk!"

Once again, Isuke ran toward her and attacked her using her knife. Tokaku blocked every hits, not without difficulty.

"Calm down, you're being manipulate by Monokuma! He's toying with all of us!"

"Shut up! I don't care! All that matter is the wish! If Isuke has to play his game to have it, then I'll do it!"

"Even if you could die!?"

"How? Because of you? You can't kill me! If you're not ready to do anything to survive, you don't deserve to live. Weakling like you doesn't belong in this world!"

"Would you have told something like that to Haruki-san?" Haru suddenly said.

Isuke suddenly stopped her attacks. What Haru said seemed to have momentarily affected her. Tokaku had noticed that the pink haired girl wasn't her normal self, she seemed emotionally unstable for some reason. Tokaku took advantage of this and grabbed Isuke by the arm, before she tackled her on the floor and restraining her.

"Give up Inukai! You lost!"

"You…you can't kill me. You can't win against me…"

"I don't need to kill you in order to defeat you!"

"You don't get it…those who don't have the resolve to kill are destined to be losers. As long as I'm alive, Isuke will not give up. I'll try again to kill both of you! You can never win if you spared your enemies!"

Tokaku suddenly kicked the floor. A taser came out from her boot's heel and she used it to electrocute the pink haired girl. Isuke uttered a weak cry, before losing consciousness.

" _She's right…if I let her live, she'll come back to try to kill us again. She really seems to not care about becoming the blackened…but if I kill her, I'll be the blackened. I can't die now, I've to stay alive to protect Haru…_ "

The blue haired girl understood that it wasn't what really mattered. Either killing or sparing Isuke wasn't the real issue. It was her curse. She couldn't kill her because of the curse.

Tokaku sighed and raised her head to look at Haru.

"Ichinose, let's find some ropes. We'll tie up Inukai and lock her somewhere until the time limit is over…"

* * *

Tokaku brusquely woke up. She had a strange dream she could barely remembered. From what she recalled, she was fighting with some woman, probably an assassin. The blue haired couldn't remember what she looked like, but somehow, Tokaku had the feeling she already met her in the past. But, Haru was taken hostage by another person, a woman again, and the SMSL Assassin was forced to capitulate for Haru's sake. Tokaku didn't understand the meaning of this dream since she didn't recall having experience such a situation. Maybe she dreamt of that because of what happened with Isuke?

After Tokaku had defeat Isuke, Haru and she had tied her up and locked her inside a locker in the locker room. The blue haired girl barricaded it with benches to be sure Isuke wouldn't be able to escape anytime soon.

They then took refuge inside of the sitting room. Since the end of the fifth class trial, Shiena was now locked inside of her own room rather than the sitting room. Tokaku was locked the door and put the couch in front to barricade it. It was a good hiding spot since they have access to food, water and a bathroom.

Tokaku turned her head to check on Haru. The red-pinkish haired girl was still asleep, her head lying on Tokaku's shoulder. They both fell asleep while being sitting on the floor and leaning on the wall. The blue haired girl noticed that Haru was holding her hand. It made Tokaku's heart beat faster.

Suddenly, she heard a loud noise that she immediately recognized.

" _This is…a gunshot!?_ "

How could it be possible? Someone had access to a gun? Could it be that Monokuma hide that kind of weapon during the treasure hunt? Whatever, if she heard gunshot, it meant that someone must have been shot, which also meant that there was a possible death.

" _What should I do? Try to find the corpse? Because if we discover it, an investigation will start. So the sixth motive shouldn't be effective anymore._ "

But, the blue haired girl doubted that it would be good for Haru to see another one of her classmates dead. They were six survivors, which meant that if someone died, other than Haru and She three people were still alive. Even the culprit could count if they went back to the crime scene with someone else, so they could discovered the body and triggered the investigation even if Tokaku and Haru remained hidden.

"Tokaku-san…was that a gunshot?" Haru suddenly asked.

"Ichinose, you're awake…yes, it was. But we don't need to go see. We should stay hidden…"

"But, maybe someone's hurt! We need to go help her!"

The blue haired girl hesitated. If they go see they'll have a chance to trigger the investigation sooner, but Tokaku knew that someone probably died. She didn't want to see Haru suffered even more, but if it was for her sake, she should do it. And it was Haru herself who insisted.

"Ok, but we need to be careful. We don't know if Inukai managed to free herself or if someone else will try to kill you. And keep in mind that…we will maybe discover a corpse."

"Haru is ready. It's not like it will be the first time anyway…"

Tokaku didn't like the look on Haru's face. She still had that despairful gaze in her eyes. The blue haired girl missed the faithful and optimistic look Haru used to have.

They left the sitting room and headed toward the place where the gunshot's noise seemed to have come from. Tokaku noticed that it was now 7h05. The time limit wasn't over. It took them some time to arrive, since they needed to walk slowly to be more wary of a possible attack. They finally reached the place where the gunshot came from: the cafeteria.

"What…what happened here!?" Tokaku shouted with shocked.

Haru remained stoic, yet her gaze showed that she didn't expect to discover this. The only emotion that could be found on her face was despair.

In the center of the cafeteria, two bodies were there. One of them was Banba, who was lying in a puddle of blood, and near her there was Isuke, who was also lying on the floor, but she didn't seem to have any visible injury.

"Attention everyone! This is the Body Discovery Announcement. A body has been discovered in the cafeteria. You're invited to go there for more information."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...that escalated quickly.
> 
> Haru used sunken ship. It was really effective.
> 
> Ok I'm sorry.


	45. Chapter 6: Turn of events

The announcement confirmed what Tokaku feared Haru would have to see. Someone died again. But, it also meant that an investigation, thus the sixth motive shouldn't be effective anymore. But still, the blue haired couldn't find any rejoice to see that Banba had been murdered.

"So Mahiru-san was killed…But, why Isuke-san is here? She seems unconscious…" Haru said.

Tokaku wondered too. They left the pink haired girl tied up and locked inside of a locker, how could she get out? Tokaku remembered that it's been a couple of hours since that incident, so it was possible for Isuke to have freed herself. But still, it didn't explain her presence here. The blue haired girl began to head toward both bodies, while she suddenly heard footstep approaching from them.

"Attention everyone! This is the Body Discovery Announcement. A body has been discovered in the cafeteria. You're invited to go there for more information."

" _Again?_ " Tokaku thought.

"What…what have you done!?"

The blue haired girl turned back, to discover that it was Shiena who just said that. The brunette was looking at the crime scene with a horrified look on her face.

"Kenmochi…" Tokaku began to say while walking toward her.

"Stay away from me! You did this, right? You're the culprit!" the hacker accused.

"What? No!"

"Shiena-chan, please calm down." Haru said softly.

The brunette began to panic even more when Haru began to approach from her. She seemed more scared of Haru than Tokaku.

"No, don't come near me…You're the traitor! You…you did this…it's all your fault!" Shiena shouted.

"Don't you dare say that to her!" Tokaku replied, frustrated.

The blue haired girl couldn't bear this false accusation. Haru was already feeling guilty about all that happened, there was no need to add fuel to the fire.

"You…it's both of you…you're the ones behind all of this!"

After she had yelled this, Shiena ran away. Tokaku didn't see the point of pursuing her. Right now the brunette was crazy and shouldn't be taken seriously.

"Why…the announcement played twice?" Haru asked.

"I don't know…maybe it was a glitch?"

"Oy, it ain't a glitch you bastards! You really think that I'll use so defective equipment?" Monokuma's voice suddenly said. "Go check the bodies and you'll understand."

With some distrust, Tokaku went back to where the bodies were. She could see more clearly Banba's wound, it was definitely a fatal one. But what about Isuke's presence? Why was she unconscious near a corpse…

The blue haired girl suddenly realised her mistake. Isuke wasn't unconscious. At first glance she seemed to be only asleep, but after few seconds, Tokaku understood the truth.

"I get it…the announcement played twice because there have two corpses…Inukai is also dead."

"Isuke-san…died? But how? She doesn't seem to have any injury…"

"I know how to recognise a dead body when I see one from this close. She's not breathing. What I wonder now is why the announcement was played twice. It could have been play just once and change 'body' to 'bodies'…"

"The announcement is pre-recorded, so no. And the rule is that three or more people need to discover the corpse for the announcement to play." Monokuma said.

Tokaku wondered what it meant. Why Monokuma reminded them of this rule? Could it be that when she arrived with Haru, they discovered one of the corpse, and when Shiena arrived it was the other corpse that was discovered? It didn't seem to make any sense.

"Well, since nobody else seem interested to come here, let's not loss anymore time and begin the investigation. The victims this time are Banba Mahiru and Inukai Isuke. You know what you have to do now. Good luck and see you soon for the sixth class trial!"

"Wait! Is it the same culprit for both of them? Or there have two culprits?" Tokaku asked.

"All that I'll say is that a dead person can't discover a body. Seeya! Upupu."

The blue haired girl sighed. Once again they will have to investigate, but not just one dead, but two. And they didn't know if there were one or two culprits. What Monokuma meant when he said a dead person can't discover a body? Isn't obvious? Or was it a way for him to confirm that either Banba or Isuke couldn't count in the three people who discovered the corpse? How is that helpful?

It seemed that this case will be the most complicated. Tokaku crouched on the floor and examined Banba's corpse. She had a bullet wound on her chest. It seemed that the gunshot injured her heart and resulted with Banba dying from an internal hemorrhage. I should have taken at least one minute for her to die from this injury.

"Banba died from an internal blood loss due to a heart's injury." Tokaku said.

The blue haired girl turned her attention to Isuke's corpse. It was the most mysterious death of the two. The first thing Tokaku noticed was the pink haired girl's wrists. They were bloody, but it didn't seem to be the cause of death. More like the rope injured them. Isuke must have been so desperate to free herself from the rope that she ended up injuring herself in the process. She must have tried so hard to slip her hands out of the rope that it scratched her skin. Tokaku tried to move the corpse to see if she had other injury, but by doing so, she noticed that Isuke's neck suddenly twisted in an unnatural angle and understood how she died.

"Inukai died because she had her neck snapped. And since she had no visible injury on her neck, it must have been done by hands, which means the culprit must be quite strong."

Tokaku looked around, searching for more clues. She found a gun on the floor. It was most likely the weapon who killed Banba. It was possible that this gun had been hidden by Monokuma for the treasure hunt. The blue haired girl then spotted Banba's sledgehammer. She also noticed that a lot of the tables were broken and upside down.

"A fight happened here." Tokaku commented.

"Could it be…Shinya-san and Isuke-san fought to death?" Haru asked.

"Yes, it's a possibility. Inukai could have shot Banba, and before dying, Banba could have used her last remaining strengths to snap Inukai's neck."

"But why would they have done that? Isuke-san was after Haru, and Shinya-san was searching for…her holy relic? Wait, the strap…Mahiru-san called the strap Hanabusa-san gave her a relic. Could it be related?"

"Hum, it's a possibility. Maybe Inukai stole it from her and Banba fought her to retrieve it. But still, why would Inukai did such a thing? Did she want to fight with Banba? Or try to blackmail her? I'M not sure, but it seemed that the possibility of the two victims to have killed each other is really plausible. But still, Kenmochi's attitude and Hanabusa's absence is suspicious too. We should go investigate other rooms too."

Haru agreed. They searched a little more inside the cafeteria to see if there had more clues, which wasn't the case, before leaving.

* * *

Tokaku and Haru went inside of Isuke's dorm room. Before that they had investigated Banba's room, but they didn't find any clues. Maybe they'll have more chance with the pink haired girl's room.

At first glance, it seemed to have nothing unusual in Isuke's dorm room. Tokaku then noticed that there was a paper on the coffee table. Curious, the blue haired girl went to retrieve it. It was a school's profile. Tokaku was surprised when she saw whose profile it was.

"It's Hashiri's school profile!" Tokaku exclaimed, before reading it out loud. "Hashiri Nio, student #10, 152cm tall, D bust size, SMSL…wait…she had a SMSL talent? But she said she didn't…she lied."

"What is Nio's talent?" Haru asked.

"She was…the SMSL Illusionist…"

"You mean…like a magician? Someone who do magic tricks? She did conjuring shows?"

Tokaku remembered something Shiena told her. The hacker mentioned to her someone named Kuzunoha Nio. The blue haired girl knew that the Kuzunoha family were a clan of assassins who were consisted of shamans skilled with illusion. It seemed even more plausible now that Nio was really a Kuzunoha. But then, why did she change her name to Hashiri?

"I think it's real illusions. It's possible that Hashiri was part of an assassin clan, the Kuzunoha. They are shamans who use illusions to trick their targets. They are the rivals of my clan. But I can't be sure of that because it's Kenmochi who told me about a certain Kuzunoha Nio. Her info came from the USB keys, so it's really doubtable."

"But why Isuke-san didn't reveal that she had found this profile during the fifth class trial?"

"Because she didn't see the point? Hashiri's talent had no impact on the class trial. When she discovered the book, she only told everyone about it to reveal my talent because she was trying to accuse me. Hashiri was already dead, so it as no point to reveal her talent."

Tokaku decided to go investigate the bedroom. She quickly spotted two papers on her nightstand. One of them was a black piece of paper.

" _It must be one of those strange school's profile…_ "

Haru took it before her and read seemed to be reading it in her mind.

"It's…Haruki-san's profile. Isuke-san must have retrieve it after the fifth class trial, when she understood that those school profiles were where those who are dead died. If she did that…it must means she really cared about Haruki-san." Haru said sadly. "This profile is nearly identical to the one in the book, except that her title here is now Super High School Level Street Fighter."

Tokaku wondered what the meaning of those black student's profiles was. Were they secretly Hope's Peak students? If they were, why would they have kept it a secret? And why Kouko is the only one for now who had a different SMSL and SHSL title?

"Isuke-san…maybe she wasn't that bad. She did say she needed the wish to save her mother, and she really seemed to be friends with Haruki-san…"

"Bullshit. Yesterday she said to me that she needed money for her and her mother to retire from being assassins. She only wished for money to have a luxury life. There's nothing honorable in that."

"If she needed money to stop being an assassin, for her and her mother, than it's a good reason."

"To try to kill you? No. She was a greedy bitch. It's not like her mother needs to be saved for real…"

Tokaku's focus suddenly went to the other paper. It was a newspaper clipping. The blue haired girl took it and saw that it was an article and read it out loud.

"The hitman Inukai Eisuke was arrested. His trial will happen soon, but he'll be most likely condemned to the death penalty due to the high number of assassinations he did…huh? Inukai?"

"It must be Isuke-san mother! This is why she needed the wish, to save her mother from his imminent execution. " Haru exclaimed. "This must be also why Isuke acted so strangely during the fifth class trial."

"What? But that's a man…"

"Isuke-san told Haru that her mother is a man, so is her father…"

"I see. She must have found this during the treasure hunt, just like Hashiri's profile. Hum, it was most likely the motive Monokuma prepared for Inukai. And it worked. But still, even if it was to save her mother, you shouldn't feel bad about this, Ichinose. Aren't you the one who said that there is no good reason to kill?"

Haru didn't reply anything, and Tokaku sadly understood why. The Haru who once said this was the faithful and optimistic Haru. The current Haru was despairful and full of remorse, she had given up on living.

"Attention everyone. The investigation is now over. You're all invited to come to the elevator near the vending machines. Those who don't come will be punished! The class trial will begin soon." Monokuma's voice said.

Tokaku sighed. It was now time to attend the sixth class trial, which seemed would be quite long and arduous.

* * *

Haru and Tokaku were the first ones to arrive at the elevator, shortly followed by Shiena. The brunette remained far from them, still looking frightened by both of them. Tokaku chose to ignore, not wanting to start an argument. She will keep that for the class trial.

The blue haired girl wondered who committed the murders, and if it was the same culprit. She knew that it wasn't Haru, since they were together the entire time, and she really doubted that Shiena could have done that. Could Sumireko be the culprit? It could explain her disappearance. Or she was also killed and her body as hidden? She continued to think that the option that Banba and Isuke fought to death was the most plausible scenario. Both the two victims' corpses were still warm, which means they must have died almost at the same time.

But it would mean they are both blackened? Could they vote for two people? She didn't think so. The blackened must be the one who died the second, or the first one to have killed the other. If Isuke shot Banba first, she should be the blackened. But then again, if Shinya snapped Isuke's neck, it meant that the pink haired girl probably died before her, so Banba must be the blackened. Thankfully the class trial will help her to figure out the truth. If they succeeded to establish an alibi for the four remaining survivors, it would mean they really killed each other.

"Well, it seems that Hanabusa-san didn't deign to come. Too bad for her, she will suffer the consequences. We'll now begin the sixth class trial." Monokuma declared.

"It won't be necessary."

Tokaku turned back. Sumireko had just arrived, with a rather dark expression on her face.

"Indeed, since you're now here, it's not necessary to punish you. Now let's begin…"

"You got me wrong. It's the class trial that won't be necessary." Hanabusa said with a cold tone.

"Huh? What do you mean? Of course a class trial is necessary, to find who the culprit is…"

Monokuma was brusquely interrupted. Some kind of wires suddenly destroyed his microphone. And those wires…came from Sumireko's hand. The wires came back inside of the lady's hand, and she approached from the elevator. She forced the doors to open with bare hands. Since the elevator wasn't at that floor, all that was behind the doors was a big wire. With a powerful punch, Hanabusa broke the wire, and closed back the doors, before breaking them.

Tokaku couldn't believe what she just saw, and it seemed to be the same for Haru and Shiena. How could it be possible? It was not humanly possible to possess such a strength.

"The class trial is cancelled. There's no need for one anymore. I admit my crime. I'm the one who killed both Banba-san and Inukai-san."

The blue haired girl was surprised. So it was her the culprit? Well, considering her strength, Sumireko could have been the one who snapped Isuke's neck. And at close range, anybody could kill someone using a gun. But still, Hanabusa's behaviour was really abnormal, and even worrisome.

"If you admit you're the culprit, you should know that you'll be executed, right? Do you mean we don't need a class trial because you accept the fact that you'll be executed?" Tokaku asked.

Sumireko suddenly laughed. She then turned back, looking at them with such a gloomy expression. The blue haired girl recognised the look in her eyes, it was the same as Haru. Hanabusa's gaze was despairful.

"Who said that I'll be executed? There's no way a survivor such as myself would allow that to happen. No, what I mean is that a class trial wouldn't be needed if there's no one to attend it to begin with, isn't that right? All I have to do it to kill every single one of you…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...that was unexpected.  
> I  
> t looks like Nio wasn't just a talentless trash. But why did she lie about her talent?
> 
> I remember that a lot of people thought that Tokaku killed Isuke in the anime when she strangled her, because of the noise it made. They thought she had her neck snapped. Well, now it happened for real. 
> 
> So...no sixth class trial? Or maybe yes? You'll see eventually!


	46. Chapter 6: Queens

The situation couldn't have been worst. If it was only the culprit that revealed herself before the class trial, it wouldn't have been bad. But it wasn't only that. Sumireko declared to be the blackened, but she had no intention to be executed. Instead, she was ready to kill everyone to stop them from attending the class trial. And from what she saw of Hanabusa's inhumane strength, she won't be an easy enemy to defeat.

"You…you broke the rule…." Shiena mumbled with a shocked expression.

"Uh? I don't recall a rule that forbid us to kill more than one person." the lady replied with a smile that seemed awfully fake.

"…Monokuma said that those who don't attend the class trial will be punished." the brunette insisted.

"No, that is wrong my dear. He said those who don't come near the elevator will be punished. Here I am, I respected his rule."

"You…you played with his rules. You don't fear them, it almost as they were made to accommodate you…" Shiena began to say, before she showed a truly frightened expression. "You…you must be the traitor! This is why you are allowed to do that…it's because the mastermind is the chairwoman! You're the Queen…the Queen Bee! You and the chairwoman are relatives, you're part of the same clan, you planned this killing game for your initiation!"

Again with what Tokaku considered to be nonsense. Well, she did think about the possibility that Sumireko was the traitor, but this queen bee thing was ridiculous. Hanabusa continued to smile, but her expression was truly threatening. She approached from Shiena, who began to recoil slowly, shivering in fear.

"You seem to know quite a lot, Kenmochi-san, which is not always a good thing. How did you learn about the Queen Bee and Yuri-sensei's clan?" Sumireko asked in a way too calm tone of voice.

The blue haired girl was confused. Did Hanabusa acknowledge Shiena's delusion? Wasn't it only supposed to be a trap made my Monokuma to trick the hacker? How Sumireko knew about that? It only made her even more suspicious in Tokaku's eyes.

"It's…it's the USB keys…those I received…as my second and third motives…Wait! You know…about the content of the USB keys, don't you!? You…you're the one who made them! You did this…to trick me. Because you're Monokuma's ally!"

"Oh my, you really lost your mind, you poor thing. Sorry to disappoint you, but I've nothing to do with this killing game. And I don't trick others, deceiving is for boorish people." Sumireko replied with a too friendly attitude. She then slightly stroked Shiena's cheek. "And please, do not compare me to the Queen Bee. She's not the real queen. I am!"

Suddenly, the lady grabbed Shiena's neck and lifted her from the floor, strangling her. The brunette tried to struggle, to fight back, but it was useless. She couldn't do anything against the superhuman strength of Sumireko.

"Stop, Hanabusa-san! Shiena-chan has nothing to do with this. You have a problem with Haru, don't you? Than deal with me!"

Hanabusa continued to strangle the brunette for few more seconds, before she slightly lowered her. She then tossed her away with strength. Shiena landed violently on the floor, few meters away from them. The hacker remained on the ground, inert. The lady than turned back, facing Haru with a malevolent smirk.

"Very well, let's settle our duel. To officialise it, I'll give you this." Sumireko said, before throwing a black envelope on the floor near Haru. The red-pinkish haired girl retrieved it.

"Your advance notice…so you really are after my life." Haru mumbled.

"Wait…Ichinose…what do you mean? What is…this Queen Bee thing? It has to do with what!?" Tokaku asked.

Haru didn't answer her question. Her focus was entirely on Sumireko.

"For what wish you're ready to kill me?" Haru asked.

"My only wish is to defeat and kill you, Ichinose-san. We both have a similar past, we both had to survive, but I'm stronger than you. I'm the true queen, not you. And I'll prove it by killing you."

"I see. Then, if Haru let you kill her, will you spare the others? And use your wish to stop this killing game?"

At first, Sumireko seemed surprised by Haru's proposal, before showing an extremely displeased and disappointed expression.

"You really are a low-tier survivor, you don't deserve your SMSL Survivor title, and you are certainly not worthy of becoming the SHSL Survivor. But sure, if I do kill you and I become allowed to escape, I'll have no reason to kill Kenmochi-san and Azuma-san. As to wishing to end the killing game, if I remember correctly the rule, if only two people remain, the game is over. So if you die and I escape, only Kenmochi-san and Azuma will remain. So I suppose the game will be over."

"Then do it. Kill Haru. I'm ready. If my death can save them, I don't have any complain. Just do it quickly please."

"You…you are the worst survivor I've ever encounter. I can't believe I'm considered on the same level as you…Anyway, as long as you die by my hand, I'll be satisfy. But the only problem I see is your protector…"

Sumireko was gazing at Tokaku. The blue haired girl noticed that Haru glanced at her. She felt like an outsider when she saw those two talking with each other. She was like a commoner stuck with two queens in conflict. Those two made her felt like she had no right to intervene, like this had nothing to do with her. They were wrong. Tokaku viewed it as her problem too, and it won't be this Queen Bee thing that will stop her from doing what she wanted to do.

"Yes, I'm Ichinose's protector, her guardian. I don't care about this Queen Bee thing, but let me tell you this. Ichinose is my queen, and I'll protect her at any cost. There's no way that I'll let her getting killed!"

"Pfff, you're just a pawn in a game you don't even understand. You don't even know what the Queen Bee is."

Tokaku took out her knife and ran toward Sumireko. She wasn't even afraid of her phenomenal strength. For Haru's sake, she was even ready to face the fiercest beast.

The lady slowly raised her arm. When Tokaku was about to hit her with her knife, Sumireko grabbed the blade with bare hand. The blue haired girl couldn't believe that it was possible. A superhuman strength was at the limit possible, but to not be injured when you grabbed a sharp blade? That couldn't be real.

Hanabusa crushed the knife with her hand, destroying it. Tokaku noticed that what seemed to be her skin was cut. But there was no blood. All she could see was…metal?

"What…what are you!?" Tokaku exclaimed with shock.

"I already told you. I'm the one true queen!"

Sumireko suddenly contracted all her limbs. All of her "skin" teared up and fell of, revealing her actual limbs. Tokaku couldn't believe it. The lady was wearing what seemed to be robotic limbs.

"You…you're a cyborg!?" Tokaku said.

"My body just had some…altercations. This is how I managed to survive and become stronger. If you still think you stand a chance against me, try to fight me. Otherwise, step aside and don't interfere."

Tokaku's hands were slightly shivering. She never had to face such an enemy before. She never felt her life being so threatened. What she felt could be associated with fear. But despite that, the blue haired girl was determined to protect Haru, even if she had to risk her own life. She clenched her fists and rushed at Sumireko, ready to engage hand-to-hand fight.

The lady was faster than her. She easily dodged her attack and went near one of the vending machines. Everything happened way too fast, Tokaku couldn't even see it coming. Sumireko made the vending machine fell right on the blue haired girl.

The pain was barely bearable. Almost all Tokaku's body was pressed on the floor. She couldn't move. But, her bones didn't seem to be broken and she didn't think she had any serious injury, it was just painful.

"How pathetic. You being the SMSL Assassin is almost as ridicule as Ichinose-san being the SMSL Survivor. You both failed miserably at honoring your title."

Tokaku painfully raised her head. Sumireko was standing near her, gazing at her with such condescendence. It was almost like she was looking at a mere insect.

"Now, watch me killing your dear queen, and cursed your own weaknesses to have failed to protect her."

Hanabusa walked away, heading toward Haru. Tokaku was powerless, forced to watch the person she cared the most being murderer right in front of her eyes. This situation reminded her of a terrible event she witnessed when she was a kid, when her grandmother killed her aunt right in front of her.

"Now, Ichinose-san. Since you're basically admitting your defeat, how about you bend the knee in front of the real queen? So I could snap your neck when you'll be on your knees. It will be quick and painless, I assure you. And if you do so, I'll spare both Azuma-san and Kenmochi-san."

Tokaku began to panic when she saw Haru bending her knees. It was over. Sumireko will kill her as soon as she will be on her knees. The blue haired girl couldn't care less if she was going to be spare because of that. Without Haru, she wouldn't want to stay alive anyway. She felt tears coming from her eyes. When was the last time she cried? She couldn't remember. But she didn't say her last word. Tokaku didn't give up and let despair win over her. She'll try until the end to protect Haru.

"Ichinose…Ichinose, Ichi…HARU!"

The red-pinkish haired girl suddenly stopped bending her knees. She looked at Tokaku with her despairful gaze.

"Tokaku…san?"

"Haru, don't do that! I don't want to live without you! You're my hope, you're the one who's keeping me from falling into despair. So please, don't let yourself getting kill! Remember those who wanted you to stay alive. I'm one of them! Survive to honor them, and live for me! This is my only wish."

Haru's gaze seemed uncertain. Sumireko turned back and glanced at Tokaku with annoyance and she headed toward her.

"You stupid worker bee…you really don't get anything. You're just a pawn on the chessboard, used by your queen as a mere cannon fodder."

Worker bee? The blue haired girl remembered that Shiena called her like that. According to her, worker bees were those who were controlled by the Queen Bee. It seemed to confirm that Sumireko had something to do with the USB keys. Anyway, Tokaku didn't believe into this bee thing.

"I'm not…a worker bee. I'm…a rabbit. A horned rabbit. I'm not Haru's pawn on the chessboard, I'm her knight!"

Hanabusa raised her leg and put her foot on the vending machine. Tokaku felt her body being pressed even more on the ground.

"It doesn't matter how you view yourself. There's nothing you can do against a queen. Whatever piece you identify yourself, I can still remove you from the chessboard. No one will miss you, you pathetic worker bee!"

Tokaku didn't see how she could get out from this situation. If Sumireko kicked the vending machine, there was no doubt that she will be crush to death. All she could now as to accept her fate and hoped that Haru will take advantage of this and escaped.

Suddenly, Hanabusa fell on the floor. Haru was standing near her, a fire extinguisher in her hands. She just had knocked out the lady.

"Tokaku…san, Tokaku…sa…TOKAKU!"

Haru threw the fire extinguisher and kneel near the blue haired girl. Her gaze had changed. Her eyes didn't show despair anymore. Haru had the gaze of someone who wanted to live.

The red-pinkish haired girl grabbed the vending machine and tried to lift it, in vain. It was pointless. A girl with such a frail body couldn't lift something that heavy.

"Haru, run…Hanabusa won't stay unconscious indefinitely."

"No! I won't leave you! She'll kill you as soon as she wakes up!"

"You don't know that. She gave you her advance notice, so maybe she needs to kill you first."

"You really think she cares about this? She killed Banba-san and Isuke-san!"

"Haru, please. Run away and hide. I'll find a way to get free from my own. Don't worry. I promise you that we'll be reunited, because…"

Tokaku wanted to tell Haru what were her feelings for her. But she knew it wasn't the right time. If she told her this, Haru wouldn't want to go, and the blue haired girl knew she wouldn't be able to keep her composure. If she said to Haru that she loved her, it would feel like a goodbye. She'll save her confession for when they will be both safe. It would be her motive to keep fighting to survive.

"…my wish is to escape with you. I want to be with you outside this school. I want us to live together. Together, we'll overcome this despair. You're my hope, Haru."

Tears began to fall from Haru's eyes.

"No, Tokaku…you're Haru's hope. My wish is the same. This is why I forbid you from dying! You better survive. We both need to stay alive, because we share the same wish to stay and live together."

The blue haired felt it even harder to not confess right now. Suddenly, she noticed that the lady began to move.

"You need to go, now. Hanabusa is about to regain consciousness. I'll find a way to deal with her."

"Haru has faith in you, Tokaku. I know you will."

Haru wiped her tears and grabbed the fire extinguisher, before running away. Tokaku looked at the girl she loved until she was out of her sight, hoping that she'll be fine. When she saw Sumireko slowly standing up, the blue haired girl tried to think about a way to fulfil her promise.

* * *

Haru went inside of the laboratory and closed the door, before locking it. Then, she hid behind a desk, near one of the corners. She sat down and put the fire extinguisher on the floor, before taking the black envelope from her pocket.

She was terribly worried about Tokaku. But thanks to her, she finally overcame the despair that afflicted her since Suzu's execution. She had understood that nothing good would happen if she let herself getting killed. It would make in vain all the sacrifice of those who died to protect her, and it would hurt Tokaku. Hurting the blue haired girl was one of the last things Haru would want to do. Still, what she felt wasn't hope. She simply had faith into Tokaku and herself. She wanted to believe that they will both survive and escape this place, and live happily together. And she was ready to fight for that wish of hers…no, their wish.

" _Tokaku…she called Haru by her first name for the first time. It really makes me happy. My heart is still racing because of this. After we escape, Haru will tell Tokaku that she's in love with her._ "

Haru looked at the envelope. Nervously and with some hesitation, she opened it. She found a paper inside, but it didn't look like the one Isuke gave her. Haru took it and unfolded it, to discover with shock what it was.

"It's not an advance notice…it's Hanabusa-san's school profile!" Haru said to herself. "Why did she give it to me? Since when did she have it?"

At first glance, she didn't see anything weird on her profile, until she read closely.

"Hanabusa Sumireko, student #11, 163 cm tall, C bust size, SMSL…huh?"

From what she remembered, Hanabusa had introduced herself as the SMSL Lady. But according to this profile, it wasn't her title. In fact, she was sharing the same title as someone else.

"Why…she has the same title as Haru?! She's also the SMSL Survivor!?"

Suddenly, the door was brusquely opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haru finally grown back her ahoge! She takes back her protag's title!
> 
> I must admit that before writing this story, I had no idea what title to give to Sumireko. I chose SMSL Lady because I had no other idea. Until I decided that it would be interesting if Haru and Sumireko have the same title, since they have a similar past and some kind of rivality.


	47. Chapter 6: Battle of Survivors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is quite long, but I just couldn't put it into two chapters. All the actions need to be merged into a single chapter. Anyway, sit back and enjoy!

Haru put her hands on her mouth to prevent her from uttering a noise and she was doing her best to remain hidden and to not make any sound. When she heard footsteps inside of the room, Haru cowered even more in the corner.

"Ichinose-san? I know you are here. How unsightly for a queen. You're more insignificant than I thought. What an unworthy person you are…"

Haru didn't bother answering. She knew that Sumireko was only trying to taunt her to make her came out from her hiding spot. But Haru had no intention to react to her provocation. She couldn't care less about what Hanabusa thought of her.

"Oh my, I didn't think you were such a coward, Ichinose-san. Don't you want to avenge Azuma-san's death? You really don't want to fight the person who killed her?"

Haru blenched. Tokaku is dead? Sumireko killed her? No, it couldn't be true! It must be a ruse to provoke Haru. After all, the blue haired girl promised that she will survive.

" _Haru…has faith in Tokaku. She can't be dead. She will survive…we will survive! For the sake of our wish, neither of us can die…_ "

"Well, Azuma-san would be rolling over in her grave if she knew her dear Ichinose-san wouldn't want to avenge her death. Or you're just really not here."

For a couple of seconds, Haru didn't hear any footsteps. Was Sumireko gone? Did she leave because she thought Haru wasn't here since she didn't react to her provocations? Cautiously, Haru began to stand up, to see if the lady was still here. Hanabusa suddenly appeared right in front of her.

"I found you, Ichinose-san." Sumireko said with a grin.

"Hanabusa-san…stop. There's no reason for us to fight!"

"You saw what was inside the envelope, don't you? We're both the SMSL Survivor. I found my student's profile in the kitchen, after the fifth class trial. It was a surprise for me, I really thought I was the SMSL Lady. But it makes more sense now. We were destined to fight. Maybe two SMSL Survivors is possible, but they can only be one SHSL Survivor. I'll defeat and kill you, to prove that I'm not only the stronger queen, but that I'm also the one who deserve this title. I'll be the one who become the SHSL Survivor! Because  _watakushi_ (I) am the strongest!"

Quickly, Haru grabbed the fire extinguisher and activated it, spraying the white foam all over Sumireko. It destabilized her for a brief instant, which was well enough for Haru to attack. She threw the extinguisher on Hanabusa and ran away from the laboratory.

* * *

Haru went back to the vending machines. There was no sign of Tokaku, and neither of Shiena. They both have disappeared. Haru wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing, but she decided to remain optimistic and believe that they were both safe.

Haru then went to hide inside of the storage room. She looked around to find something to protect herself. She spotted a bunch of screwdrivers in an open box. She examined it and noticed that one of them was missing. Those screwdrivers recalled something to Haru.

" _It's…the same type Haru found in the classroom where Suzu-san was locked…could it be the missing one? Then, why it was inside this classroom…?_ "

Lost in her thoughts, Haru didn't notice the thing that was near her foot and she accidentally made it fall on the floor. Haru turned back to see what it was and discovered that it was a can of gasoline. Quickly she rose up the can. Some of the gasoline had fallen on the floor, but it was only a small puddle. Haru then notice something on the shelf. It was a lighter and a box of cigarettes. She then looked up and slightly smiled. There was still hope for her. Haru put the lighter and the box of cigarettes in her pocket and went in the center of the room, waiting for Sumireko to find her.

It didn't take too long for Hanabusa to arrive in the storage room. The lady was still covered in foam and she looked kind of pissed. But when she saw Haru, a smirk appeared on her lips.

"There you are, Ichinose-san. You won't escape anymore. I must admit you did fight well, but you're no match for the queen that I am. You're merely a spoiled princess, always protect by others. I survived on my own, therefor I'm stronger than you."

"Your limbs…you lost them…how?"

"Oh my, are you trying to win some time? Because it won't save you. But I've nothing against a little talk. Just like you, I was targeted since I'm a child by assassins. I lost my limbs due to an assassin attempt against me. Well, I didn't lose them all, but the injuries were quite serious, so I preferred to amputate them. Robotic limbs are way better, especially to fight. It makes me stronger. It's thanks to that if I could survive."

Haru kind of felt bad for Sumireko. Since they both grew up in similar circumstances, she could felt sympathy for her. But it didn't mean that she will let her do as she pleased. Haru had no intention to let herself getting kill. She made a promise with Tokaku, and she was determined to escape with the girl she loved. Slowly, Haru began to take out what she had in her pocket.

"What are you trying to achieve with that?" Sumireko asked.

Haru was holding both the lighter and the box of cigarette.

"Isn't obvious? A want a smoke." Haru replied.

"Uh? You want to smoke?"

"Yes. I always want to try one, just to know how it feel. Since I'll die soon, and don't think I should worry about lung cancer anymore, don't I?"

"So you really give up. Very well, have your smoke. I'm going to kill you as soon as you finish."

Haru took one of the cigarettes and put it in her mouth, before lighting it with the lighter. The taste was awful and she almost coughed on it. Hanabusa giggled slightly.

"You're more wild than I thought."

"Hanabusa-san, we're the same. We shouldn't be fighting."

"We're not the same. I survive on my own. You have worker bees to protect you."

"Not that's wrong! Haru was also fighting on her own to survive! I don't have worker bees, because I don't have the queen bee ability…wait, how did you know so much about me?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll still kill you. Because it's all that's all I've left…"

"Why can't we be friends? It doesn't have to end like this."

"We can't, because a queen must endure solitude. This is why I'm superior to you, because I'm alone. You aren't the same as me because you relied on Azuma-san to protect you."

"Is it why you killed Mahiru-san?"

Sumireko suddenly froze. She wasn't expecting her to say the silver haired girl's name and it seemed to have quite affected her. Haru took advantage of this and threw her cigarette in the puddle of gasoline and a fire started.

"What…what's the meaning of this!?" the lady shouted.

Suddenly, what appeared to be rain fell in the room. But of course, since they were inside, it couldn't be it. It was in fact the sprinklers that were spaying water in the room because of the fire Haru started. Both Haru and Sumireko were completely wet and the fire was extinguished rapidly. With a panicked expression, Hanabusa ran away from the room. Haru looked around and found an axe. She grabbed it an exit the room, to find Sumireko in the corridor. The cyborg was lying on the floor. Her limbs seemed to not be working well. She turned back to gaze furiously at Haru.

"You…you tricked me!"

"Yes, I did. And I'm not ashamed. I may not be strong, and may rely on others to protect me, but that doesn't mean I can't fight on my own! Haru also has her reasons to survive, and don't intent to die now!"

Sumireko tried to stand up, but the best she could do was to support herself on her knees and hands.

"It's…all your fault. This killing game, Class Black, happens because of you!"

"I know…Class Black happens because of Haru. But it doesn't mean it's my fault. I'm not responsible for this. It's the mastermind, Monokuma, who is to blame, not me. Haru is not responsible for his actions. I never want this to happen, and I really regret all the deaths. But I shouldn't feel guilty for this!"

Haru had finally understood that she shouldn't blame herself for Class Black. Even if Class Black existed because of her, she wasn't responsible for Monokuma, or whoever the mastermind was, actions. She won't fall into despair anymore, because she wanted to live with Tokaku and escaped with her from this school.

"Whatever who's fault it is, it doesn't change the result. Just kill me already. I killed everyone else, we're the only ones left." Sumireko said.

Hanabusa claimed that she had killed both Banba and Isuke. She also said that she had killed Tokaku, and judging by her words, she also killed Shiena. But was it really the truth? Could it be possible that Sumireko lied? But why? Haru tried to remember some details that could help understanding what really happened.

"No, that can't be right! Tokaku and Shiena-chan aren't dead! Haru went back to the vending machines and their corpses weren't there! So they must be alive. You wouldn't have time or a reason to hide their bodies."

"What make you think that Monokuma didn't hide their corpses?"

"Because the only reason why he moves the corpse is for the class trial. There was no investigation for their death, so he would have let their corpse there to be discovered. But the reason why I know Tokaku isn't death is because she promised me that she won't die, and Haru has faith in her!"

"Faith? Tss, what kind of argument is that? Even if I didn't kill them, I'm still the blackened. I'm the one who murdered Banba-san and Inukai-san. Monokuma will eventually execute me anyway, especially since I ruined his class trial. So you can just kill me now…"

Haru was relieved. Sumireko kind of admitted that she didn't kill Tokaku. But she still insisted on being the culprit. Somehow, Haru couldn't believe it. Or rather, she only half believed it.

"Haru…can't believe you killed Mahiru-san. You really seemed to like her. It doesn't make sense!"

"This is precisely why I had to kill her. You were right earlier. I'm a queen, I must be alone. Banba-san was a weakness to me, I had to get rid of her…"

"No, no that's wrong! I won't believe such a thing! You took the time to make her a strap to make her feel better, I can't accept that you murdered her for such an absurd reason!"

Sumireko didn't reply back. She looked away, with sorrow in her eyes. Haru was convinced that she was lying. She tried to remember anything that could help her proving it. She then thought about the strap and she recalled some things Banba had said and she understood what probably truly happened.

"The strap…Mahiru-san called it a relic. Mahiru-san said that she wanted to make it holy. Shinya-san said to Shiena-chan that she couldn't kill you because you belong to Mahiru-san. And just before she got killed, Shinya-san said she had a holy relic to retrieve and she was armed with a sledgehammer. Could it be…she needed to kill the person who gave her the relic to make it holy? So Shinya-san tried to kill you, and you killed her by self-defence!?"

"Does it really matter? She's still dead. It's not a class trial, you don't need to find out the truth."

"Yes it does matter! Haru knows that you would never want Mahiru-san to be dead! You tried so hard to defend her during the third class trial. You would never become her murderer, because you like her too much for that!"

Haru was convinced of this because of what Tokaku told her. The blue haired girl refused to kill her, because she cared for her. It was the same thing for Sumireko. Even if Banba tried to kill her, Haru couldn't believe that Hanabusa would have killed her. There must have another explanation. Tokaku said that Banba and Isuke might have killed each other, but was it really the truth?

No, it couldn't be the case. In order to be true, Banba should have snapped her neck just after being shot. But it was passed 7h when they heard the gunshot, which meant it was daytime, and Mahiru isn't strong enough to do that.

"You…didn't kill Mahiru-san. Even if Shinya-san tried to kill you, it was daytime when she was killed. You would have never harmed Mahiru-san, especially not in daytime." Haru concluded.

"Then who killed her? And who killed Inukai-san? Who's the culprit if I'm not?"

Haru tried to think about it. What Sumireko said was both right and wrong. And Haru knew which part was true and which one was false. It was time for her to expose the truth.

"You are wrong…and right! There's not just one culprit, but two. And you're one of them. But you are not the one who killed Mahiru-san." Haru declared.

"You had a fight with Shinya-san during nighttime. You fought in the cafeteria. Her reason to do so was to make the strap you gave to Mahiru-san a holy relic. You may have tried to kill her when she was Shinya-san as an act of self-defence, but as soon as she regained her daytime persona, you wouldn't have killed her. It's at this moment that the second culprit arrived and killed Mahiru-san with a gun. In a fit of rage, you killed the second culprit by snapping her neck. And the second culprit is none other than Inukai Isuke, the SMSL Kick-Boxer." Haru added. "She must have lost her mind when she failed to kill me. The time limit was about to end and she couldn't find me, so she could have decided to do a killing spree in order to win the game and escape. She was pretty desperate to have her wish because her mother was in danger."

Haru was surprised when she saw tears rolling from Sumireko's eyes.

"Banba-san…I loved her. I was in love with her. I understood what the true meaning of her relic was, but I didn't care. Even if I knew she would try to kill me, I was prepared to defend myself. But, Inukai-san shot her right in front of me. So I killed her. And Banba-san died in my arm, I couldn't do anything to save her…and then I remembered everything, which makes things even more worst."

"Wait…what did you remember?" Haru asked.

Hanabusa didn't reply. She suddenly stood up, seeming perfectly fine.

"Your…your limbs…"

"Do you really think some water will break them? Those are expensive cybernetic limbs. You could only break them if you push me in a large body of water."

The lady began to approach from her.

"You…caused all of this. Banba-san died…because of you. I'm going to kill you!"

It wasn't anger Haru saw into Sumireko's eyes. It was despair. Hanabusa had been overwhelmed by despair.

"Hanabusa-san, pulled yourself together! You're letting despair win over you…"

"I don't care. I don't have hope anymore. You are the cause of my despair. And only despair can defeat despair."

Haru knew that Sumireko couldn't be reasoned anymore. The despair she felt was too strong. Reluctantly, Haru raised the axe, ready to protect herself.

"It's punishment time!" Monokuma's voice suddenly resounded.

Out of the blue, a rope suddenly wrapped around Sumireko's waist. The cyborg fell on the ground, before she was drawn away by the rope. Haru was too shocked to react immediately. She then spotted a small object that fell from Hanabusa's pocket. Haru went to retrieve it and discovered that it was the strap she made to Mahiru.

Sumireko was dragged into a secret door. Putting the strap in her pocket, Haru rush toward her and went inside the secret corridor.

* * *

Sumireko arrived into a dark room. She stood up with some difficulty and noticed that something was written on one of the walls:  _Long live the queen!_

The cyborg understood that she had been sentence to death by Monokuma, it must be her execution. She was being executed either because she was the only living culprit, or because she ruined his class trial. Either way, he wanted her dead, and she was going to die.

Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by multiple Monokumas. They were all holding guns, which made them looked like assassins. They aimed at Sumireko, ready to shoot. Of course, the survivor she was wouldn't let herself getting killed without trying anything she can to survive. She began to attack the Monokumas but unfortunately, her robotic limbs weren't at their best. The water had indeed damaged her cybernetic limbs.

She did manage to destroy some of them, but she received some bullets. But, it wasn't ordinary bullets. There were paintball bullets. They couldn't kill her, but it was still painful. It didn't take a long for her to have her entire body covered in multiple paint stains. Sumireko succeeded into destroying almost all of the Monokumas, only last one remained. But, this one shot her right in the face, damaging her right eye.

Despite the burning pain in her eye, Sumireko grabbed the Monokuma's head and crushed it. There were no Monokuma anymore. But it wasn't over. Another rope suddenly grabbed her, this time by the neck. She was dragged to a scaffold. Other Monokumas appeared, but this time they were dressed like headsmen. They tied up the cyborg and left her lying on her back.

Sumireko realised with terror what was waiting for her. Right on top of her neck there was a guillotine, ready to decapitate her. The cyborg tried to break free, in vain. Her mechanical limbs were having a malfunction, she couldn't use her super strength. A headsman Monokuma approached from her, ready to activate the guillotine. He lowered the crank and the blade fell down.

Hanabusa closed her eyes, waiting for death. But nothing happened. The cyborg reopened her eyes, to discover that the headsman Monokuma had his head chopped off. An axe was on the floor. Haru was holding the crank up, which had stopped the blade to fall. When the blade had return to its initial spot, the red-pinkish haired girl took back the axe and used it to untie Sumireko. She then went to destroy the two others Monokuma with success.

Sumireko got out from the scaffold. Her limbs seemed to be working correctly. Haru threw the axe away and approached from her with a worried expression.

"Hanabusa-san, are you alright…?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Sumireko grabbed Haru by the neck and began to strangle her. It didn't matter if she just saved her life. The lady would have preferred to die rather than being saved by her rival. The only reason she had to live now was to defeat and kill the girl she always wanted to eliminate since she was a child. It was the sole reason why she accepted to attend Class Black. Now that her life has been saved, it was all that she had left. It didn't matter if the one she needed to kill was also her savior.

Sumireko suddenly recalled how her fight with Shinya went. She eventually managed to defeat Banba and had grabbed her by the neck, but she had immediately dropped her when she saw that it was daytime. She couldn't bear to hurt Mahiru. If only she could have seen Isuke arrived sooner. The pink haired girl came inside the cafeteria without a warning and shot Mahiru right in front of her eyes. Sumireko didn't remember exactly what happened next, but she did know that she killed Isuke in a fit of rage. She then went to Banba, who had been fatally shot, and was forced to watch powerless the girl she loved died into her arms. It was the burden of being a survivor. You always survive while those who you loved don't.

"T…Toka…Tokaku…save…me…" Haru managed to say.

"I regret that she won't come to save you this time."

Hanabusa then remembered how her confrontation with the blue haired girl ended. She spared her. She let her trapped under the vending machine and immediately went to pursue Haru. She didn't see the point of killing a helpless pawn. It would have been a waste of time. She didn't kill Shiena either. She didn't see the point of killing such a weak girl. But since Haru said that she didn't found them near the vending machines, it meant they were still alive somewhere in the school. Or Monokuma killed them secretly.

"Hana…busa…san…stop…please…"

Sumireko suddenly had a flash of memory. For a brief instant, she saw Haru as Mahiru. This brief image in her mind made her dropped the red-pinkish haired girl. Another memory came back in her mind and she understood that she had no right to do that. She was being hypocrite. She was taking advantage of something she knew but Haru didn't. And even if she couldn't care less about Tokaku, she knew the pain of losing someone you loved. She didn't want to cause it to someone else.

The cyborg noticed that Haru was supporting herself with Sumireko's legs. She was coughing on the floor, desperately trying to catch her breath, while being at Hanabusa's feet. She really looked pathetic right now.

Sumireko found it hard to believe that such a girl had once defeated her.

Haru finally managed to get back on her feet. She looked at Hanabusa into the eyes, while still heavily panting.

"Hanabusa-san…don't surrender yourself…to despair. It's what…Monokuma wants. Haru…isn't your enemy. He is."

"You're right. We need to defeat him first."

"Yes. If we work together, we should be able to defeat him and escape."

Haru walked away, toward the exit. Sumireko noticed that when Haru walked on a certain part of the floor, it slightly sunk. She then noticed that several small trapdoors suddenly opened in the ground, surrounding them. Haru didn't seem to have noticed. She must have activated some kind of trap, and they both were about to fall into it. Hanabusa knew that she would have no problem avoiding it, but she doubted that it would be the same for the red-pinkish haired girl.

If Haru wasn't able to dodge whatever kind of trap it was, than she wasn't worthy of being a survivor and should just die. This is what Sumireko wanted to think, but her actions didn't match her thought.

Sumireko pushed Haru away from the trajectory. Her intent was to go away from the trap while bringing Haru with her. But as soon as she saved her, her cybernetic limbs suddenly stopped working. She found herself paralyse, unable to move. She couldn't dodge the imminent trap.

The cyborg suddenly felt multiple sharp pains piercing her body.

* * *

Haru heard a morbid sound of flesh being cut. She lowered her head and noticed that there was blood at her feet. Worried and terrified, Haru turned back, to discover a gruesome sight.

"Hanabusa…san…?"

Sumireko was standing in front of her, her body impaled with three spears. Her chest, abdomen and flank were touched. A thin stream of blood flew from her mouth. The spears brusquely retracted from her body and a lot of blood came out from her wounds, splashing everywhere.

Suddenly, a trapdoor opened right under the cyborg's feet. Hanabusa fell into it. Haru suddenly had a weird image in her mind. She saw herself on the top of a building, she was making the lady fell from it. This weird scene disappeared from her mind, leaving Haru confused. Only listening to her body, Haru jumped in the trapdoor and reached for Sumireko's hand. She then grabbed the edge of the trapdoor, stopping their fall.

Haru could barely keep this up. Hanabusa was too heavy because of her robotic limbs. She was about to let go at any moment. She hands were already slipping. It was only a matter of time until she either let go of the edge or of Sumireko's hand.

"Ichinose-san…let me go. Otherwise we'll both falls."

"No! I can't do that! I…can't let you fall again, not this time. And it's my fault if you got hurt, you were trying to save Haru…"

"You're wrong. Don't take me wrong, I didn't intend to sacrifice myself for you. I did save you, but I didn't want to end up like this. My limbs only had a malfunction at the worst time."

"But…"

"Don't try to argue with me. I see that you remembered something. It's…not the first time are into this kind of situation. I must be honest with you. I acted selfishly. Despite our promise and the fact that I renounced to the title of SHSL Survivor, I still tried to defeat you. It was wrong of me. I lost the reason why I renounced and I took advantage of your current state to break my vow. I never thought that I would do this one day, apologising. But I'm truly sorry, Ichinose-san."

"Haru…can't understands what you're a saying. It doesn't make any sense. What did you…remember?"

Haru's hand began to slip even more from the edge. She was only keeping a grip with her fingers.

"I don't have the time to explain to you. You need to let go of me. All I can say is that Shuto-san was right. I finally understood her."

"Suzu-san? Is it about what she said during the fifth class trial?"

"Ichinose-san, enough. Let go of my hand. If we both die, it will be our loss."

Haru firmly held Hanabusa's hand. She had no intention of letting her go.

"Never! You'll explain me everything when we'll be both safe."

"You're not leaving me the choice…"

Sumireko raised her other hand and grabbed her arm, the one Haru was holding.

"What…what are you doing!?" Haru shouted with panic.

"I'm…done. I can't even feel my legs…or what is left of them. My spinal cord must be broken and my injuries are probably fatal. I don't think I couldn't survive this time. But you can. You need to stay alive. You need to survive to avenge all of us. Live for all of those who died. And survive to give to Monokuma what he deserves."

Sumireko pressed her cybernetic arm and it suddenly detached from her shoulder. She looked at Haru right in the eyes. Her gaze was despairful. Hanabusa had lost to despair. She had lost her will to live.

"HANABUSA-SAN!"

The cyborg closed her eyes and fell into the trapdoor, disappearing from Haru's sight. All that remained into Haru's hand was Sumireko's robotic arm, which she finally let go.

" _Why…people always have to die for Haru…?_ "

Using both of her hands, Haru managed to get out from the trapdoor. She stood up and remained at the edge, looking inside the trapdoor. Tears began to roll on Haru's cheek, but she immediately wiped them. It wasn't the time to cry. She needed to keep her tears for when she'll be out from this school.

" _Hanabusa-san…she reached the same truth than Suzu-san. To understand what she meant, I need to establish what truth Suzu-san understood._ "

Haru understood what she needed to do. But before leaving, she took something from her pocket. It was the strap Sumireko made for Mahiru. With some sadness and regret, Haru let it fall into the trapdoor.

"I hope…that you'll be able to meet into the afterlife."

* * *

Haru approached from Suzu's closet. She opened it and retrieved the strongbox that was inside and went to the living room to put it on the coffee table. Haru also put the thin book Isuke had found near the strongbox. Haru had retrieved it in Shiena's dorm room. She then put the three cards she found during the fourth investigation and opened the book. She went to Suzu's student profile.

" _Shuto Suzu, student #7, 155 cm tall, C bust size, birthday July 14_ _th_ _, SMSL Gamester…_ "

Haru looked at the card. They were the seven of diamond, a joker and an ace of spades. If she remembered correctly, Suzu had told her that the joker was meant to be a zero.

" _Suzu-san is born the seventh month, the 14_ _th_ _day…could the password be her birthday? So, the missing card should be a four…_ "

Haru tried to enter 7014 as the combination for the strongbox. It was a shock for her when she discovered that it wasn't the right password. She was convinced that the student profile was the clue Suzu left her to find the password.

" _It's no use…Haru isn't enough smart to understand what Suzu-san meant…No! I can't give up now! Haru has to find the truth both Suzu-san and Hanabusa reached, to honor them, as well as everyone who died._ "

Haru tried to remember something Suzu could have say as a clue. She then recalled something she had said about her past. The gamester had said that she used to have someone she loved, and this person was on day younger than her.

" _Could it be…the password is the birthday of this person? So the missing card should be a five, not a four!_ "

Haru entered 7015 as the combination, and it worked! The strongbox finally opened. She succeeded into understanding Suzu's clues. Haru could almost feel the gamester by her side, gently stroking her hair like she did during the fourth class trial. This sensation kind of made her sad, but also nostalgic.

She found inside of the strongbox what seemed to be a small book. But when she examined it, she discovered that it was in fact a photo album. Haru kind of felt bad to be looking into the deceased personal stuff, but Suzu did give her the permission. Otherwise she wouldn't have given her this clue.

The first pictures were quite old. They were in black in white. They seemed to be from the Meiji Restoration era. On those pictures, Suzu was wearing traditional Japanese clothing. Even if she saw some photos where Suzu looked younger, the majority of them had her with the same appearance as Haru remembered her.

" _So she was saying the truth, about her Highlander syndrome._ " Haru thought sadly.

Haru continued to flip the pages. She discovered Suzu, always with the same physical age, wearing different clothing for a lot of different eras. This photo album was almost an historical book. It was showing the evolution of the Japanese cultures through Suzu. Haru suddenly felt her tears coming back.

Haru suddenly regained her composure when she arrived at the last pages. She couldn't believe what she just discovered. It couldn't be possible, but yet, she couldn't deny it. It was at this moment that Haru finally understood the "truth".

Suddenly, the television turned on.

"Ichinose Haru, the moment has come. It's time for you to attend the sixth and final class trial." Monokuma declared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh? Sixth class trial? They won't be a lot of people to attend it...I'm sorry.
> 
> Well, I teared up a little while writing this chapter. Poor Sumireko...
> 
> So, what's the "truth?" And where are Tokaku and Shiena? All of this will be answered in the next chapter!


	48. Chapter 6: The Truth

While limping, Tokaku was wandering inside the school, searching for Haru. She was terribly worried about her, especially since Sumireko was after her life.

The blue haired girl recalled how she managed to survive. When she was still trapped under the vending machine, Tokaku played dead. Surprisingly it was enough to make Sumireko go away. Either she really thought she was dead, or she just didn't care about Tokaku.

But, when Tokaku finally managed to get out from under the vending machine, Shiena wasn't there anymore. Not that Tokaku really cared about her. But still, the brunette's disappearance was suspicious. She could be dead, or hiding somewhere. With her current mental state, the hacker could be a threat to Haru. This is what bothered Tokaku about Shiena missing.

Tokaku really hoped that Haru was alright. Hanabusa was a monstrous adversary. The blue haired girl wasn't even sure she could beat her. But despite that, she was determined to fight her in order to protect Haru. For the sake of their wish, Tokaku was ready to do anything to obtain it.

" _Haru…I swear that I'll protect you no matter what, just please be safe and wait for me._ "

Tokaku continue to limp. She had been lightly injured by the vending machine. Luckily, she had no broken bone, only bruises and scratches. But, her ankle was really painful, which probably meant that it was sprained.

Suddenly, she noticed something that was moving. Tokaku headed toward and discovered that it was a person, and not just anybody.

"Haru!" Tokaku called.

The person didn't reply. Maybe she couldn't hear her? Tokaku was certain that it was Haru.

"HARU!"

Still no answer. The blue haired girl was confused. It must be Haru, she knew how to recognise her. This person was identical to her, who else could it be?

Suddenly, Haru disappeared. Or more exactly, she went inside of a door that wasn't supposed to exist, almost like she went through the wall. Tokaku approached from the place where she had disappeared and found a secret door, leading to a hidden room.

Cautiously, Tokaku went inside the secret room. No sign of Haru, but the blue haired girl was too shocked by her discovery to think about it. There were multiple screens on the wall, all showing a place in the school. There were most likely connected to the surveillance cameras. This room must be a monitoring station.

" _Why…Haru went inside such a room…?_ "

Tokaku noticed that one of the screens seemed broken. It was only flashing a lot of different colors and it kind of made her dizzy to look at it. There was also a weird and indistinct noise that was coming from a microphone. This sound was quite annoying and even frustrating to hear.

The blue haired girl spotted a big envelope on the desk. She took it and looked at what was inside. It was a bunch of pictures. She couldn't believe what she saw. She then recalled everything that Shiena told her, while a feeling of despair suddenly emerge in her mind.

* * *

Following Monokuma's instructions, Haru went inside of an elevator. She found it inside of the library, hidden behind a bookcase. The elevator went down, even more than the one that used to brought them to the class trial. The door finally opened. Haru hold close to her Suzu's photo album. It was now the final class trial, when she'll reveal the truth and win the game.

There was only one desk inside of the room. Haru approached from it. It was the same seat she had during the class trials. In front of her there were a big screen and the picture of every student in Class Black, with a flower under their photo. It was the same flower for those who died before the fifth class trial. Those who died recently or were still alive also had a flower.

Haru suddenly heard a familiar voice in her head: "the flower under your picture is a lily flower. It's symbolised purity. The flower under Azuma-san's picture is a heliotrope. It can means devotion. Hashiri-san is a basil flower. Some considers that it means hatred. The one under Inukai-san's picture is a red carnation, which means mother's love. Hanabusa-san is an Iceland poppy, which symbolise comfort, and Banba-san are a moonflower and a Japanese bindweed, which make reference to the day and night. And the one under my picture is a red tulip. Ah, I really like this one. It the language of flower, it means eternal love".

Haru smiled with nostalgia when she recognised the voice in her mind.

" _Suzu-san, you're still in Haru's heart._ "

She put the photo album on the desk and looked at the screen. Monokuma suddenly appeared on it, smiling in a devilish way.

"Are you ready? We'll finally do the final class trial!"

"Why…everyone has a flower? And why Haru is alone?" she asked, worried.

"Huh? I already told you, I'm not the one behind the flowers. I suppose the one who put them there wished that everyone dies." Monokuma replied. "And you are alone because…the other survivors are busy facing their own trial."

Haru wasn't sure to understand, but it seemed that Tokaku and Shiena were somehow having their own class trial. About the flowers, Haru knew that it was a common thing to do in bullying to put a flower on someone's desk. It meant that you wished that this person was dead. Then, who put those flowers and why they wished for everyone death? The only person she could think of was Monokuma.

"So…this is Haru's trial?"

"Yes, but it's also the class trial for Banba Mahiru and Inukai Isuke's death. Since Hanabusa-san kind of ruined the class trial, you'll have to do it by yourself."

"You should have heard me earlier. Even Hanabusa-san admitted it. She killed Isuke-san because she killed Mahiru-san."

"Even if she admitted it, it doesn't prove that it's what that truly happened. You need evidence to prove it."

Haru thought about it. There must have a clue that could prove it. She then remembered a detail Monokuma himself told them.

" _So ka_  (I see)!" Haru said. "You said that dead people doesn't count for the body discovery. It seems obvious that a dead person can't discover a corpse, so it can't be just that. You wouldn't have said this if it was only that. No, it must have another meaning. What you meant is that someone who's dead, even if they discovered a corpse before dying, won't count in the three people who need to discover the body in order for the announcement to be played. When both Haru and Tokaku arrived, we triggered the first announcement. Because someone already had discovered one of the corpse, and it can't be Isuke-san or Mahiru-san since they are both dead. And it can't be Shiena-chan either. So it must be Hanabusa-san! So she can't be the culprit for the two murders. And when Shiena-chan arrived, another announcement was made for the other corpse."

"You're right about one thing. Even if Inukai-san or Banba-san discovered the other's corpse, since they died after they don't count. But it doesn't mean that Hanabusa-san killed Inukai-san. It could have been Banba-san who killed Inukai-san and then Hanabusa-san killed her."

"You're wrong! Isuke-san had her neck broken. And since the shotgun happened during daytime, it was Mahiru-san who was shot. Mahiru-san doesn't have enough strength to snap someone's neck."

"Then Shinya-san could have snapped Inukai-san's neck, then when it was daytime, Hanabusa-san arrived and shot her!" Monokuma replied.

Haru clenched her fists. He was right. With the current clues, it was possible that indeed, Shinya could have broken Isuke's neck and Mahiru be shot by Sumireko. But, Haru was convinced that she was right and that Sumireko didn't lied. Haru tried to find a clue that could prove it, but she realised that it didn't really matter.

"Hanabusa-san was in love with Mahiru-san. She would never have killed her. It's more logical if she had killed Isuke-san in a fit of rage because she killed Mahiru-san." Haru argued.

"What you say is only base on speculations, it had no fundament. Without evidence you can't prove to me that it's really what happened."

"I don't care! I don't want to prove anything to you. Anyway you already know the truth, with your cameras. I just have to prove it to myself. Haru has faith into Hanabusa-san. I've faith into her love of Mahiru-san. I want to believe that she told me the truth. This is why Haru will trust Hanabusa-san. I could bet my life on it!"

"Oh, really? Then, let's do it! You'll vote for whom do you think the culprit or culprits are. If you are right, you are safe, but if you are wrong, you'll be executed. You know how it works. Take your time to think. Don't forget that your life is at stake."

Right now, two possibilities existed, and with the current clues they seemed equally plausible. It was either Banba who killed Isuke, before being killed by Sumireko, or Isuke who killed Mahiru before being killed by Sumireko. But despite the lack of evidence, Haru had faith into Hanabusa's love.

"Haru is ready to vote! I've no doubt. I'll trusted my faith until the end!"

"Eh, faith. What a ridiculous thing to rely on. Anyway, let's begin with Inukai-san's murderer. Who do you think is the blackened for this murder?"

Haru lifted the top of her desk. She spotted the button #11 and pressed it.

"Now vote for the one you think is Banba-san's murderer. Is it the same person, or another blackened?" Monokuma said.

Haru searched for the button #2 and pressed it, before closing her desk and looking at the screen. A graphic showed that one person voted for Isuke as Banba's murderer and one vote for Sumireko as Isuke's murderer. After few seconds Monokuma's figure reappeared on the screen.

"You are…correct! Congratulation! Inukai-san killed Banba-san and Hanabusa-san killed Inukai-san." Monokuma declared. "Well, it was a short class trial…"

"Wait! It isn't over!" Haru protested.

Monokuma looked at her with surprise. He genuinely seemed confused by her protestation.

"What do you mean? The vote is over, you guessed right. And since both blackeneds are dead, there won't be execution…"

"I'm not talking about this class trial! I'm talking about the fifth class trial! Haru wants to appeal!"

"Huh? You want a court of appeal for the fifth class trial? Why? The sentence had already been done…"

"I've reasons to think that a mistake was done during the fifth class trial. Haru wants to reopen this case to prove it."

"What mistake?"

"Haru doesn't think that Suzu-san was the culprit. She was wrongly accused and executed."

Monokuma remained stoic for few seconds. His glare seemed kind of annoyed by Haru's statement.

"Are you saying that  _I_ , somehow, made a mistake and executed the wrong person?" Monokuma replied with hostility.

"No, you didn't do a mistake. You did it on purpose." Haru corrected bitterly.

This time, Monokuma looked furious.

"How dare you disrespect your headmaster!?"

"There are a lot of holes in the accusation of Suzu-san. Firstly, we never established how she managed to untie herself. The rope had clearly been cut once. How did she cut it? There was no sharp object in the room where she was locked in!" Haru replied.

"Is it only what you have? Maybe she was never tied up to begin with. Maybe she found two ropes inside of the classroom and tied them together."

"How did she arrive to sneak inside the air vent? It was really high."

"She could have use chairs and desks to reach it."

"How did she manage to go inside the infirmary? The screws are on the upfront side, so she shouldn't have access to them inside of the vent. And I doubt she had enough strength to break it. And neither the air vent grid nor the air vent had damage, so they weren't broken. Someone unscrewed it, and it couldn't be Suzu-san."

Haru felt some regrets and guiltiness. If only she had thought of those details during the fifth class trials rather than letting despair winning over her, maybe Suzu will still be alive…No, if Monokuma really intended to execute her, it wouldn't have change anything. The past couldn't be change, all she could do was to try to survive in the present and worked for a better future.

"What if the air vent had been unscrewed way before Shuto-san was locked? Maybe it always has been that way. Or Hashiri-san is the one who did it. If her goal was really to kill Kenmochi-san, she could have locked the door, unscrewed the air vent and hide the grid to have a way to go out and made it looks like a closed room murder." Monokuma replied.

"You said a lot of 'if'…" Haru complained.

"It's because all of you arguments are easily disprovable. You have no actual evidence, get your facts right…"

"That's wrong! I have a proof! It's the screwdriver! Haru found a box full of similar ones in the storage room, but one was missing. Judging by the size, the one missing was the screwdriver we found inside the classroom where Suzu-san was locked in. How did it get there? Suzu-san can't be the one who brought it there, since she was locked inside. So someone else put it there. It's you. You did it in order to frame Suzu-san!" Haru accused.

Monokuma remained quiet for a moment, before showing an infuriated expression.

"Stupid! This is stupid! You're stupid! Your argument is ridiculous, all you said is dumb. I never met someone as idiot as you!"

"This is why you spoke directly to Suzu-san during the class trial. You told her to choose wisely, otherwise everyone could be executed. In fact you were telling her to not protest the accusation against her otherwise everyone would be killed. You were threatening her." Haru said calmly.

"That's not true, idiot!"

"This is why Suzu-san called this game rotten. Because she knew it was rigged. She knew she was being framed. This is why she gave up, a gamester such as her wouldn't want to participate into a rigged game. This is why she called you a cheater!"

"Shut up! How can you be so dumb?! Why Shuto-san would have done such a thing? It's stupid to give up your life for others!"

"You're wrong! Suzu-san was our class rep! She was chosen by Kaminaga-san! All she did was to follow Kaminaga-san's request. She wanted for Suzu-san to protect us. This is why Suzu-san accepted to be framed and didn't try to protest."

"You're stupid…!"

But, she never acknowledged to be the culprit or to have killed Nio. She only admitted that according to you, she was the blackened. Suzu-san trusted Haru to find out the truth, this is why she left those clues."

Monokuma really seemed to have lost his temper. Suddenly, he calmed himself and showed a sickening grin.

"If Shuto-san had an alibi, then who was the culprit? Everyone else also have an alibi!" Monokuma replied.

In a fit of rage, Haru suddenly hit her desk with her fist.

"I don't care! It doesn't matter who the culprit was! It won't change the fact that you executed someone who was innocent! You must be the one who killed Nio! You did it in order to frame Suzu-san, because she was a threat to you."

"You bastard…is right! Upupu, I did this to get rid of this nuisance! But if it was Kenmochi-san who ended up being voted as the culprit, I would have executed her instead. They were both a bother to me."

"So you finally admit it…you sore loser!"

"And what are you gonna do 'bout that? I'm the one in charge, I control the game! I'm the boss here! The headmaster!"

"How…childish. You cheated your own game! You executed an innocent, you committed murder, and force us to kill each other for your own amusement! What you did…is unforgivable! Not even Haru can forgive a monster such as you! And it's not even the worst part…you even manipulated our memory!"

This time, Monokuma seemed confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! All those weird dreams I had, there weren't just dreams. They were lost memories. And everyone…became friend way too soon, almost as they knew each other before. Even me, I always had the feeling that I knew Tokaku. This is because we did meet before the killing game. We all suffer of amnesia, because of you! You erased some of our memory!"

Haru recalled one of her dream, the one where she was tied up on a chair, with a strange person wearing a Monokuma mask. She remembered that some weird helmet had been put on her head, and the pain she felt. It must be a machine that could somehow erased memory.

"Huh? Amnesia? Erasing memory? You really are dumb don't you? Do you think that it is some kind of shitty sci-fi movie?" Monokuma taunted.

Haru opened the photo album and showed the last pages to Monokuma, or more exactly, the pictures that where inside.

"Then, explain this!"

The first picture showed the thirteen Class Black's students in a classroom, with Mizorogi Ataru, their teacher. They were all wearing a similar school uniform as Nio, the Myojo's uniform. The majority of them were smiling. It seemed to be an official class picture.

The second picture was a photo of Suzu and Kouko, with other Class Black's students in the background. They were at the pool. Even the black haired girl was smiling.

The third picture was set in front of Myojo Academy. It seemed to be during some kind of sport festival. The photo showed Tokaku, Haruki and Chitaru running on the track field, while the others were picnicking under a tree.

The fourth and last picture seemed to be set in some kind of ball, in Myojo's gymnasium. The main focus of the picture was Haru and Tokaku dancing together, Haru wearing a dress and Tokaku a tuxedo. Even the blue haired girl seemed to enjoy the event. The other Class Black's students were in the background.

"It's Suzu-san's photo album. Those pictures are the proof that she knew each other. We were Myojo's students!" Haru declared. "This is the truth that both Suzu-san and Hanabusa-san reached. Hanabusa-san even recovered her memory after Mahiru-san's death."

Monokuma remained impassible for few seconds, before bursting of laugh.

"You are right! Prior to the killing game, you were all actual classmates! Isn't despairful, to know that all your friends and classmates killed each other without even knowing it? Upupu."

"It's over, Monokuma. Now that Haru had found out the truth, nobody will commit murder. The game is over."

"No no, it's not over. You'll have one final vote to do. Here, check this out!"

A thin book suddenly fell right on Haru's desk. Cautiously, Haru opened it. It was really similar to the book Isuke found, but with black pages. A lot of pages were missing. The only ones that where there was the number 10 to 13. Haru understood that the missing ones where those that were hidden for the treasure hunt.

"Kuzunoha…Nio, SHSL Illusionist. Hanabusa Sumireko, SHSL…Tea Sommelier. Banba Mahiru, SHSL Seamstress. Ichinose Haru, SHSL…Survivor." Haru read out loud. "I see. The other book was our Myojo's school profile. Those are our Hope's Peak Academy's school profile. Since we were all amnesiac we forgot, but we were all accepted to Hope's Peak."

"Bingo! Indeed, you bastards would have been Hope's Peak Academy's students. How ironic. Those who were chosen for Class Black were chosen way before the alliance between the two schools. You were giving a SMSL title to fit the request of Hope's Peak. Who could have guess that you would be all accepted to attend Hope's Peak? Anyway, it won't happen now."

Suddenly, a curtain fell, revealing a strange door that was big, metallic and circular.

"Could it be…the exit?" Haru asked.

"Yes! It's the exit. It's now the time for your final vote. If you find the right answer, you'll be allowed to leave, as well as all the other survivors. But if you fail, you'll be executed.

"Haru is ready! I'll defeat you once and for all! For all those who died because of you, you who stole us our future and hope. Haru will escape with the others and we'll build a new future and attend Hope's Peak Academy!"

"Upupu, I highly doubt that. Anyway, the question is, who the traitor is? Because yes, they were a traitor among you. A fellow Class Black's student. You'll have to vote for the person you think is the traitor!"

Once again, Haru lifted the top of her desk. She didn't want to accuse one of her classmates to be the traitor, but she had no choice. There was indeed on person she was suspicious of. Only her seemed to be a plausible traitor. Resignedly, Haru pressed the button #10 and closed her desk.

"You are…wrong!?" Monokuma exclaimed. "How surprising! Well, it seemed that you'll be executed…"

"Wait! If I'm wrong, who is the traitor!?" Haru asked. "And you're a cheater! How can I know you're not trying to get rid of me!?"

"I must admit that I'm also surprise, I actually have no idea who the traitor is. Anyway, it doesn't matter, you were already condemn to be executed."

"Uh? What…do you mean?"

"You accidentally killed Hanabusa-san. You're the one who triggered the trap that caused her death. And since it wasn't an act of self-defence, you are now the blackened."

"No, it can't be…I'm Hanabusa-san's killer…?"

Haru felt herself fall into despair again. She was going to be executed? No, she couldn't. She had made a promise with Tokaku, she had to survive, so they could both escape together. It was their wish!

"Upupu, it's now punishment time! Ah, and it seems that someone is about to join us! It will be the perfect execution for the SMSL Survivor, as well as the Queen Bee."

Haru suddenly began to hyperventilate. She was afraid, she didn't know what to expect, and she wasn't sure if she could fulfil the promise she made with Tokaku. To not be able to make their wish come true was what terrified the most Haru.

Suddenly, she heard the elevator's doors opened behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The amnesia card again!? Well, this is truly a Danganronpa story then!
> 
> Poor Suzu, she was innocent. She has been wrongly executed.
> 
> The flowers for Haru, Tokaku and Nio never appeared in the original story and were chosen by me.
> 
> Who's the traitor? And how many people will survive, and whom? This story is about to end soon!


	49. Chapter 6: Worker bee

Cautiously, Shiena went out from under her bed and looked around. When she was sure to be alone, she stood up and sighed in relief.

The brunette had been hidden under her bed because she had heard someone coming inside of her dorm room. Afraid, she had quickly gone under her bed to hide. The person who had gone inside of her room was Haru. She had taken something on her nightstand before leaving as quickly as she came.

After she had been attacked by Sumireko, Shiena had returned to her dorm room. Fortunately, she wasn't severely injured, just few bruises. Her left wrist was quite painful though, it was possible that it had a sprain, which wasn't really good for a hacker.

Shiena rushed to her nightstand to see what Haru took. The only thing that was missing was the book with their student's profile. It wasn't something important for the hacker, since she already had copied everything that was inside the book in her laptop. But still, the fact that Haru stole it from her was terribly suspicious.

The brunette decided to not bother with that and to continue what she was doing. She was close to discover the traitor's identity. She had found a secret file in the crypted data on one of the USB key, and judging by how much it was protected and the file's name, it must be something about the traitor. It was painful for her to type with her sprain, but she bore with it. She was determined to find out who was the traitor to save the remaining survivors. She couldn't care less about the pain right now.

Sitting on bed, Shiena finally decrypted the data. It was a file video. She was finally going to know who the traitor was, this loathing individual who dared to try to destroy hope. This person was the enemy of Hope's Peak Academy, and the hacker was determined to bring them down. Whoever dared to make fun of hope or Hope's Peak was Shiena's enemy. Hope's Peak Academy represented the brunette's dream, her hope. She would never forgive the one who was behind this killing game, and anyone who helped this person.

"Hope's Peak Academy…is perfect. It's the ultimate symbol of hope. It's my hope, my dream. I have to eliminate the traitor and escape from here, I've to go to Hope's Peak…and become the SHSL Dramatist. I'll spread hope with my plays and help a lot of people. This is why I've to eliminate the traitor, to destroy despair, I've to do it for hope!" Shiena mumbled to herself.

Nervously but with determination, the hacker cliqued on the file video and opened it, feeling her heart racing inside of her chest.

The video started with a man standing on a chair, a noose around his neck, with his hands tied up. Shiena immediately recognised him.

"It's…Mizorogi Ataru!" She exclaimed.

The young man was crying and begging for mercy:  _"Please, don't do this! I'm your teacher! I don't know why you're doing this, but please stop!"_

Suddenly, Shiena heard another voice in the video:  _"This is…for the sake of despair. Everything that is related to hope…must be destroyed. Because Hope's Peak Academy…is rotten."_

" _This voice…it must be the traitor! So they really are against Hope's Peak Academy! They are…enemy of hope, they are…my enemy._ " Shiena thought.

A person began to approach from Mizorogi. Shiena couldn't see their face, but it seemed that they were wearing some kind of mask. The Class Black's teacher suddenly talked:  _"You…you are behind all that happened, don't you!? Your classmates…you are behind their disappearance! What did you do to them?! Tell me!"_

The traitor replied:  _"Nothing…for now. Let's just say that what I've plan for them will be quite…despair-inducing."_

_"Please, leave them alone!"_  Mizorogi exclaimed desperately.  _"They are your classmates, your friends! Don't hurt them! You can do whatever you want with me, but please spare them! They are my precious students…"_

Shiena was surprised. She thought that their teacher was Monokuma's ally, but it seemed that he really cared about his students.

" _Wait…his students are…us? But we never met..._ " she thought, confused.

The traitor spoke again:  _"I can't do that. I've to save them from hope, because I care about them. I care about you too sensei, this is why you deserve to die in despair, knowing that you failed to protect your students…"_

Suddenly, the traitor kicked the chair. Mizorogi fell from it and the noose around his neck began to strangle him. Desperately the teacher tried to grab the rope to loose it, in vain. His eyes were injected with blood and his face showed a pained expression due to the lack of oxygen. After few seconds of agony, he finally died. His body remained inert, hanging.

Shiena was horrified by what she witnessed. She didn't know that man, but she was still shocked and even saddened by his death. He looked like a good man, he certainly didn't deserve to die like this. His horrible murder was another reason to despise the traitor.

Suddenly, the traitor turned back, facing the camera. Shiena discovered that this person was wearing a Monokuma mask, but it wasn't what shocked her the most. The traitor was wearing Myojo Academy's uniform.

" _So the traitor…was Hashiri…? But then, why is she dead? Is it why Shuto killed her?_ "

Before Shiena could think more about that, the traitor approached from the camera, and grabbed their mask. They removed it, revealing their face. Shiena was shocked when she discovered the traitor's identity. She couldn't believe it.

"No…it can't be true. How can the traitor be…"

The hacker suddenly felt a violent headache. Shiena grabbed her head and uttered a scream of pain. The truth was too painful to bear. She couldn't resist to despair anymore. Her memory finally came back and she remembered everything.

* * *

Slowly, Haru turned back, and sighed with relief when she discovered the person who was inside the elevator.

"Tokaku!" Haru called.

All her worries had disappeared as soon as she saw the blue haired girl. She was so happy to see that Tokaku was still alive and well. She didn't care about everything that Monokuma said, it didn't matter now since she was finally reunited with the girl she loved.

Tokaku approached from her, but stopped at two meters from Haru. Her joyed suddenly vanished when she saw the look on the blue haired girl's face. Tokaku's eyes were empty, almost like she was dead in the inside.

"Tokaku…is something wrong?" Haru asked, worried.

The blue haired girl didn't answer immediately. Tokaku looked around, before gazing at Haru with a displeased expression.

"Another secret room uh…you really are hiding stuffs don't you, Ichinose. And this, I suppose it is the exit. You were planning of leaving, alone…"

Haru was shocked. She didn't understand what Tokaku meant, or what she suddenly refer to her by her surname. She had a bad feeling about it.

"Tokaku…Haru doesn't get what you're saying…did Monokuma tell you something? Hey, Monokuma, it's your doing isn't it…!"

Haru was confused when she discovered that Monokuma's figure wasn't on the screen anymore. But the screen wasn't turned off. Something was now written on it:  _The worker bee's revolt._

" _Could it be…Haru's execution!?_ "

With panic, Haru turned back, to discover that Tokaku was now aiming at her with a gun.

"To…Tokaku!?"

"It's over. You won't manipulate me anymore!"

"Huh? No, that's wrong! Haru didn't…"

" _Usoda_  (Liar)!"

The blue haired girl threw few photos on the floor. There were three pictures. One of them was Haru alone, wearing the Myojo's school uniform. Another one was showing Haru and Sumireko inside of a classroom, both wearing Myojo's uniform. The last one was a picture of Haru with Mizorogi.

"Those photos…where did you find them…?" Haru asked.

"It doesn't matter. It only proves me that you were lying to me this entire time. You are a Myojo's student! And you knew Hanabusa and the teacher!"

"Wait, I can explain…"

"No! I don't want to listen to you, all that come out from your mouth are lies!" Tokaku interrupted angrily. "I already understood the truth. The one who's behind the killing game is the chairwoman, Mizorogi was his ally and he kidnapped us all, but the true masterminds are both you and Hanabusa! I saw her student profile, she is also the SMSL Survivor. You planned this killing game as a wait to choose which one of you will be the next leader of your clan…"

"No, it's wrong…"

"Shut up! You, the chairwoman and Hanabusa are from the same family! You're into some weird clan, and Class Black is your initiation. You tricked us all just for that…you toyed with my feelings…it's unforgivable…"

"No, Tokaku! This is not the truth! Haru has nothing to do with this. You have to believe me…here I've the proof…"

Haru tried to reach Suzu's photo album, but Tokaku shot right next to her, which refrained her to keep moving.

"Stay where you are! Whatever you want to show me, I won't fall for your traps anymore!" the blue haired girl warned. "I thought that you were my hope, but in fact, you are only causing me despair! You're the SMSL Despair!"

Tokaku's eyes had changed. Her gaze was despairful. There had no sign of hope in her eyes anymore. This is how Haru understood that it was hopeless. Something happened to Tokaku, she wasn't in her usual self. Whatever the thing that changed her, Haru doubted that she could do anything to reverse it. But she still wanted to try, because she still had faith into Tokaku.

"Tokaku…Haru won't die. You can try to shoot me if you want, but I know you'll fail. You're not a murderer. You can't kill. Whoever is trying to kill me, it can be you, Monokuma, God, Haru won't give up. Because I'm the SMSL…no, the SHSL Survivor! I'll survive, I'll escape from here, and I want to escape with you, because…"

Haru began to walk toward the blue haired girl.

"Because Tokaku, I love y…"

Haru couldn't finish her sentence. She heard a gunshot. She then felt a terrible pain in her chest. Both because her heart was broken and because Tokaku just shot her.

Haru lowered her head and discovered a bleeding wound on her chest. She then raised her head, to look at the girl she loved. Tokaku was staring at her with a despairful gaze, and an insane smile appeared on her lips. The despair really got the best of her.

Haru closed her eyes and fell on the floor. She had lost. The only consolation she found before falling into darkness was that now, they should only have two survivors. So this cruel game should finally over.

* * *

Tokaku looked at Haru, who was lying on the floor inert, bleeding. She had aimed for her heart, so she should be dead, or at least dying soon.

"I…shot…Haru…" she mumbled, before laughing bitterly. "I killed Haru!"

All she could felt was despair but despite that, the blue haired girl was laughing madly. It was like she found some kind of sick pleasure to have killed the girl she loved so much.

Suddenly, she felt something wet rolling on her cheeks. Tokaku wiped them and discovered with shock that she was crying.

"Why…?"

A violent headache assailed her. Tokaku dropped her gun and fell on her knees while grabbing her head. A sudden flash appeared in her mind, followed by a scene:

_She was together with Haru in what seemed to be a dorm room for two. They were both sitting on a couch, talking with each other._

_"So you know everything now. About my past, the queen bee ability, my clan. Haru doesn't think that she had such a power, but I can't prove it. So it might be possible…that you are affected by this ability. It could be the reason why…you are my friend. I'm sorry, Tokaku."_

_Haru really seemed to feel guilty about this. In a comforting way, Tokaku gently grabbed Haru's hand and looked at her into her eyes._

_"Don't worry, Haru. Thank you for telling me the truth about you. I don't believe that such a power can exist, but even if it was the case, I would forgive you. I know you wouldn't have done it on purpose. If you tell me you didn't do it, then I'll believe you, because I trust you. I've faith into you and into my own feelings for you…Haru, I love you."_

_She slowly approached from Haru's face, but it was the red-pinkish haired girl that initiated their first kiss._

The scene ended. It wasn't just a thought, it was a piece of her memory, a souvenir. Tokaku uttered a cry of despair, while her tears were flowing from her eyes.

She remembered everything. She had been sent to Myojo Academy by her teacher Kaiba for an assassination job. She was supposed to kill one of her classmate, Ichinose Haru. But when she arrived at Myojo, she was giving the title of SMSL Assassin and she learned that Class Black was now a project between Hope's Peak Academy and Myojo. Not that Tokaku cared at that time, she still wanted to do her job. What a surprised when she discovered that her roommate was her target. Tokaku did intend to kill her, but she couldn't. It wasn't only because of her curse, but also because she ended up befriending her target. Well, it was more Haru who wanted to be her friend.

Tokaku had noticed that the majority of her classmates were also assassins, but they also didn't seem to know what to do. All they did in Class Black were regular class stuff, nothing had been said about an assassination. So just like everyone in the class, she ended up forgetting about the assassination and just enjoying her normal school life. When Haru finally told her the truth, Tokaku wasn't mad, and they began to date. They spent almost a year without problem, until the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy happened, which also leaded to multiple riots, even at Myojo Academy. The last thing she remembered clearly was that the entire class had been abducted and their memories had been erased.

"Haru…Haru was…my lover. And I murdered her…"

Tokaku continued to cry tears of despair over the death of Haru. Her hope was dead, she had killed it herself. Now all that was left to her was despair.

"How pitiful. It only take some miserable despair video to make you killed your queen and becoming a regicide. You are such an unworthy worker bee."

Tokaku blenched. She had recognised this voice. But it was impossible that it was hers. The blue haired girl turned back, to discover that it was really her. Haru was standing near her, looking down at her with condescension.

"Haru…? But…you died…"

"It's because I'm not Haru-chan. I'm the one who's behind all of this. I am Haru-chan's secret evil twin sister!"

Tokaku remained quiet, confused by what this other Haru was saying. The latter began to laugh meanly.

"Haha, I'm kidding! I'm not related to Haru-chan, at least not by blood. But I'm someone you know, I'm one of your classmate. Here's a riddle for you. Who am I?" the fake Haru asked with a grin.

The blue haired girl stood up. It was painful to see Haru, or rather someone who looked like her, showing such a devilish expression. Tokaku smelled her. This person stank like sewage. Her smell had nothing to do with Haru's, who smelled like sun and honey. Tokaku only knew one person who stank like that and who could possibly be able to imitate someone else's appearance.

"You are a member of the assassin clan composed of shamans, the Kuzunoha. You are Hashiri…no, Kuzunoha Nio, the SMSL Illusionist, and the traitor!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hi Nio! She ain't dead so. I did leave a big clue about that in the last chapter of the fifth class trial. Go look at the count of survivors for the fourth chapter and the fifth chapter. I'm glad nobody noticed it xD (But I had to put it, otherwise I would have lied)
> 
> RIP Mizorogi-sensei.
> 
> So the traitor is...?
> 
> Next chapter will be the last one! Be ready!


	50. Chapter 6: Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! This is the last chapter of Akuma no Ronpa. Thanks everyone for your support, and I hope you'll like the ending!

A sinister grin appeared on the fake Haru's teeth, which were now sharp. Her appearance suddenly changed, showing her true identity.

"You guessed right, Azuma-san. I'm the traitor you were looking for, or the ringleader as Shuto-san called it. Personally, I prefer to view myself as the arbitrator of Class Black." Nio replied.

Tokaku could barely believe it. Nio was still alive. Even if she was the one who deduced it, the blue haired girl was still confused by the fact that she wasn't dead.

"How…we saw your corpse! And Shuto…she killed you, she was executed because of that…"

"Indeed, Shuto-san was executed for real, she's dead…but she never murdered me." Hashiri replied with a somewhat sad smile.

It took a moment for Tokaku to understand what actually happened.

"I see, you worked with Monokuma to frame Shuto because she was in your way. Your  _corpse_ , nobody actually examined it. Monokuma even  _confirmed_  the cause of death, to refrain us from looking at your body. He claimed that it was because he wanted to save us time…it was in fact a trick to hide the fact that you weren't dead! You must have used an illusion to fake your death!" Tokaku declared.

"Ah, so you aren't a meathead like I thought! You've got some deduction's skills. You found out the truth, but at this point, it doesn't really matter doesn't it?"

Nio approached from the wall with the portraits and flowers of every Class Black's students.

"Those flowers…you were the one behind them…"

"Well, of course. Who else could it be? I'm also the one who put the corpses in the coffin for the class trials and gave you the motives." Nio confirmed.

"Why…did you do this?!"

"The flowers? It was my way to honor the memory of my deceased classmates. I was really glad to see that Shuto-san also knew about the language of flowers…"

"I'm not talking about that! Why did you help Monokuma?! Why did you contributed into this killing game!? You…we were all classmates. I retrieved my memory. I know that…they were your friends!"

Tokaku had remembered their school life. Even if she never liked Nio, especially when she learned she was a Kuzunoha, but she always thought that the blonde girl got along with everybody else. She seemed quite friendly with almost everyone in the class.

"Friends? You thought that I view them as my friends? Haha, you must be kidding me…" Nio began to say, the basil flower in her hand. She then showed a furious expression, her eyes full of hatred. "I hate them all! This is why I did all of this, because I wished for all of them to just die!"

Tokaku was surprised and shocked by Nio's expression. She never saw her being so angry, it was kind of frightening. The blue haired girl noticed something other than hate into Nio's vermilion eyes. It was despair. She then remembered something Shiena told her.

"The brainwash video…Kenmochi told me if you watch it, you become obsessed with despair. Don't tell me…you saw it!? Which means…you are the SMSL Despair?!" Tokaku exclaimed.

Nio's face suddenly became emotionless, before a sudden cat-like smile appeared on her lips.

"Uh, brainwash video…well, maybe I've seen it, maybe not. In any case, I am indeed the one who's referred as the SMSL Despair. But you know, speaking of despair videos, you are currently under the influence of one of them, do you realise that?"

Tokaku didn't know what she meant. It was the second time Nio mentioned a despair video.

"You look confused. Let's me refresh your memory. You saw a weird flashing screen and heard a disturbing noise, don't you? When you found those pictures? Well, it was in fact a despair video you were watching. But this one isn't the brainwash video. It was only meant to increase the feeling of despair in you. It seemed that it work perfectly. You were so despaired that you even killed your girlfriend. How pathetic…"

The blue haired girl was shocked. She was under the influence of despair? She killed Haru because of a video? This truth was too painful to accept. How could she have done such a thing only under the influence of some video? She murdered the girl she loved over a stupid video! She could never forgive herself for that.

"You know Azuma-san, you're the one I hate the most in the class. I thought that you would have regained your common sense before doing something irreparable, but I was wrong. Even though you loved Haru-chan, even if you viewed her as your queen, you still killed her with cold-blood. It's…unforgivable. Even I wouldn't have done such a thing, I would never hurt my queen! This is why I'm better than you. This is why I'm going to make you fall into a deeper despair!"

Nio genuinely seemed mad at Tokaku. The blue haired girl wondered who her queen was and why she looked so offended. The blonde girl let the basil flower fell on the ground and she approached from Banba's picture. Shen then began to smile friendly.

"You are still under the influence of the despair video you saw. Well, Haru-chan's death and the fact you retrieved your memory seem to have temporarily stopped it effects on you. But I saw it, you were really aroused when you killed your girlfriend. The despair turned you on. So I wonder, what would happen if I increase your despair? Will you be brainwash and become one of those despair's lovers? Or will you commit suicide like those who have seen the suicide brainwash video? Either way will be entertaining, I can't wait to see how you'll react to despair!" Nio exclaimed cheerfully.

The illusionist grabbed the flowers under Banba's portrait and suddenly, her appearance changed, much to Tokaku's concern, who began to be worried about Nio's intent.

"I…I received a relic from Ichinose-san, but I failed to make it holy. But…I don't care anymore, since she became my friend." the fake Mahiru said, before turning into a fake Shinya. "I finally managed to make Mahiru appreciates her normal school life and helped her to make friends!"

"What…what are you doing!?" Tokaku shouted.

The fake Banba threw the moonflower and bindweed on the floor, before grabbing another flower and changing her appearance.

"I was in love with Banba-san. I confessed to her after Ichinose-san defeated me, I gave up the idea of being a queen to be with Banba-san. A also dreamt to open a tea room with her." the fake Sumireko said, before throwing the Iceland poppy.

"I forgave Kirigaya for being Angel Trumpet because I love her. But I had tried to kill her and to commit suicide, which failed. Even if it's pained me to be with the girl who killed my teacher's daughter, I still want to remain at Hitsugi's side." the fake Chitaru said, before throwing the red rose.

Even it was only Nio disguised, it really caused sorrow to Tokaku to see Namatame again. She was one of the only people the blue haired girl considered as a friend.

"I renounced to my serial killer's life because of a promise I made with Shiena-chan. I was supposed to kill her when she grow up to be more my type, but…I think that I like her more alive." the fake Otoya said while throwing on the floor the mountain lily.

"All I want was to be cured of my illness and aged like anybody else and died from old age. I wanted it even more when I met Kouko-chan. The thought of seeing her growing and leaving me was unbearable…" the fake Suzu said. She then threw the red tulip and took another flower.

"I accepted to attend Class Black because I thought it would allow me to go to Hope's Peak Academy. Thanks to that I would have find a good job to support my family. Unfortunately, my mother died from her illness, but I still decided to stay at Myojo and find a job to help my younger siblings!" the fake Haruki said while throwing a verbena flower.

"I wished to attend Hope's Peak Academy to make my dream come true. I wanted to become the greatest dramatist ever and spread hope with my plays, especially for those who are bullied." the fake Shiena said while letting the thistle flower fell on the floor.

"Before I was a ruthless assassin, but when I met Chitaru-san, I decided to change. I quitted my group because I loved her. I let her tried to kill me because I wanted to make her wish come true, and I saved her when she poisoned herself. I want to stay by her side and make amends for my past crimes to have her forgiveness." the fake Hitsugi said before throwing the white rose.

"At first I viewed Myojo and Hope's Peak as a way to escape from my group, but now, I honestly want to become a better leader and class representative for my classmates and help them developing their own talents. I also want to become a scientist and find a cure for the Highlander syndrome." the fake Kouko said while throwing the red spider lily.

"I didn't really care about Myojo or Hope's Peak, but I must admit that I've met someone interesting in Class Black, someone that I fell in love with…Haruki. I've to admit that I kind of admire her devotion for her family. This is why I want to become a professional kick-boxer, to gain a lot of money for my own family, and maybe…helping hers…Unfortunately, my mama ended up executed." the fake Isuke declared while throwing the red carnation

" _Yamete_  (Stop)!" Tokaku yelled.

The blue haired girl fell on her knees and grabbed her head. The despair was too strong, she was about to succumb to it. She never really gave attention to her classmates so she didn't know about more than half of what Nio said, but it was really despair-inducing to learn about it after their death, especially since the circumstances.

"How pathetic. You almost make me having pity of you."

Tokaku raised her head, discovering a fake version of herself.

"Our classmates died, they killed each other over motives and wishes they couldn't or already had. Isn't ironic? Laughable? Totally despairful? They died not knowing they were all actual classmates, and they murdered their friends. They died and killed for nothing, all they did was in vain! How miserable, how…despair-inducing!" the fake Tokaku said.

"S...Sh…shut up…!"

"But it's the truth. And you're not better than them, you're even worst. You didn't even have an actual motive, but you still killed Haru-chan. You let despair win. The others did what they do for hope, but you…you killed your hope! You're now on the despair side, you have no hope anymore!"

Tokaku felt tears rolling on her cheeks. It was true. She had no hope, since Haru was dead. And she killed her herself, in a fit of despair. She was really on the side of despair now. The fake Tokaku let the heliotrope flower fell and grabbed the lily flower, before changing once again her appearance.

"No, please…don't do that!" the blue haired girl pleaded with panic.

The fake Haru showed her a sweet and friendly smile.

"Why do you look so afraid, Tokaku? Isn't because you feel bad to have killed Haru? If it's the case, surrender to despair. You'll feel better, because if you accept despair, you won't feel bad about killing me. In fact, I know you felt pleasure when you shot Haru right into the heart. It felt good to kill me, right? You want to feel good again? Feeling bad sucks, right? Then accept the despair, trust me you won't feel pain anymore…"

'Haru' approached from Tokaku and kneel near her, before putting the lily flower into Tokaku's hair. She then gently stroked her hair.

"Don't worry, Tokaku. Just let despair ease your pain. Trust me, you'll feel better after."

Brusquely, the blue haired girl pushed the fake Haru away.

"Shut up! You're not Haru! I'll never allow to feel pleasure over the death of Haru! I feel despair, I've no hope, but I won't become like you, Hashiri!"

The fake Haru looked at her with an extremely displeased expression.

"I see. How disappointing. It seems that the video wasn't enough, you are no longer under it influence. Haru-chan's death and your memory stopped it affects. Well, it's not funny anymore to bully you. You're just a sad and pathetic girl who is mourning the death of her girlfriend. I kind of feel bad for you…this is why I'll be merciful and end your sufferance!"

'Haru' raised her arm, revealing that she was armed with a knife. She tried to stab Tokaku, but the blue haired girl was faster. Tokaku grabbed her armed hand and made the fake Haru stabbed herself, right into the heart.

"Aa…you…I did well to put a flower under my portrait then…two kills in few minutes, you aren't as bad as an assassin as I thought." Nio said while coughing blood. "You are now…alone. And outside…the world had fall into despair. It only a matter of time until…you succumb to it too…"

The SMSL Illusionist regained her normal appearance and fell on the floor, face down, right on the flowers she had threw. The lily flower in Tokaku's hair fell next to Nio and suddenly, everything became pitched black around her.

_Tokaku noticed that she was surrounded by her dead classmates. They were all standing near her, wounded. Kouko had a hole in her stomach, Otoya had multiple stab wounds, Hitsugi had her hand bleeding, Chitaru had claw marks and blood coming from her mouth, Haruki was heavily bleeding from her scalp, Suzu's body was wet with some injures, Banba had a bullet wound on her chest, Isuke had her head twisted in a unnatural angle and Nio had a hole in her heart._

_"You don't deserve to be alive while we all died. We believed in hope, while you killed your hope. You are despair now. You should be dead like the rest of us." the dead classmates said in unison._

_"No…I didn't mean to…I loved her…" Tokaku mumbled._

_"Die, die, die!" they repeated all together._

_Suddenly, Chitaru approached from her, showing a friendly smile._

_"Namatame…"_

_"Azuma, you are like me. I also have killed the person I loved the most. This is why I deserved to die, this why you deserve to die. Thanks to that I could be reunited with Kirigaya. Die too, join us, so you could be together with Ichinose." Chitaru proposed._

_"Join us, join us, join us…" the others mumbled in background._

_The fencer suddenly took out a gun and aimed at Tokaku with a stoic expression._

_"Tokaku-san…"_

_The blue haired girl recognized the voice. She immediately turned back, to discover Haru. Tokaku then realised that everybody else had disappeared and that the gun was now into her hand._

_"Haru…!"_

_"Tokaku-san, you are a murderer. You are my murderer. You shot me, you killed me, even though you loved me, even though I love you, we were a couple…_

_"I'm sorry! I didn't want to, it's the video…"_

_"Don't try to blame a video for your own action! Take your responsibly for what you have done. Take that gun, put it next to your head, and pull the trigger!"_

_"You want me to…kill myself?"_

_"Yes, this way you could come and join me. You could apologise to me in person. So kill yourself Tokaku-san, it's the only way you can redeem yourself."_

_Mechanically, the blue haired girl approached the gun from her head and put her finger on the trigger._

_"Yes, that's it, you're doing it good. Now you just have to pull the trigger, and we'll be reunited." Haru said._

_Haru was gazing at her with red eyes, full of despair, and a maleficent smirk._

_"Yes, you are right. I deserve to die. I've no hope anymore, I've no reason to live…" Tokaku said._

"No, Tokaku, don't do this!"

_Tokaku blenched. This voice, it was…Haru? Another Haru? The Haru in front of her looked angry._

_"Don't listen to it Tokaku-san. I'm Haru. You killed me. This is why you need to die!"_

_"Yes, I should kill myself…"_

"Tokaku! Put that down! If you love me, listen to me! No, you have to obey me! I command you to stop right now!"

_Again with this voice. Tokaku was convinced now, it was the actual Haru's voice. Was she talking to her from heaven? Suddenly, the blue haired girl smelled a sweet smell of honey, and heard some kind of buzz noise, like the one bees did. She then looked at Haru. She didn't look the same. Her eyes were normal, she was looking at her with a hopeful gaze._

_"Haru…"_

"Tokaku, it's time to wake up. You are supposed to protect me, you are my knight, my prince. I forbid you to die!"

_"But I killed you…"_

"Snap out of this! I'm here. If you don't want to listen to me, I'll make you mine. You'll be my captive, which means you are not allow to die. You'll stay by my side forever and protect me! Now throw away your gun and come back to your sense! Don't lose to despair!"

_Suddenly, Haru kissed her on the lips. Tokaku could taste blood, but also something else. It was a slight taste of honey. It tasted good. The blue haired girl wanted this moment to stay forever._

Tokaku finally came back to reality. She felt that something was pressed against her lips. It was another pair of lips, and they were soft. The blue haired girl suddenly recoiled, to discover that Haru was standing in front of her. They were kissing. The red-pinkish haired girl showed her a warm and kind smile. Some blood was coming from her mouth and she had a bleeding wound on her chest. Tokaku noticed that she was holding a gun and she immediately threw it away.

"Haru, you are…"

"Tokaku, I…I love you! My memory…came back, after you shot me…"

Haru suddenly fell. Tokaku managed to grab her and softly put her on the floor while still holding her. Haru's face was terribly pale, she was in a terrible shape. Haru then began to cry.

"Tokaku, I'm sorry…Haru isn't sure, but…I think that I used the queen bee ability to control you. You were about to kill yourself, you didn't seem well, so I was scared…and I commanded you to stop. I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologise! It's my fault! I tried to kill you, I was about to kill myself, you did what you needed to do to save me. So don't feel guilty about this."

The blue haired girl did feel different. She didn't feel any despair anymore. But her love for Haru and her desire to protect her seemed to be the same. Tokaku removed Haru's vest to examine her wound. Strangely, it was really where her heart was that the wound were. Tokaku teared up the cloth and used it as a bandage to stop the wound from bleeding.

"Don't worry, Tokaku. Haru won't die. We will survive together, because it's our wish. Because we love each other."

"Yes, I swear that I'll make us escape from here and save you."

"About our classmates…they didn't die in vain. Even without their memory, Kouko-san, Suzu-san, Shiena-chan…they tried their best to protect everyone. Kouko-san and Suzu-san died to save us, without them we won't be alive…it wasn't in vain…"

"Wonderful. You two are truly interesting." An unknown voice suddenly said.

Tokaku looked at the screen. Someone was on it. This person was wearing the same hoodie as Monokuma, but it wasn't the same voice. It was in fact a normal voice, a female one. She didn't have the mask, but her face was hidden by the hood.

"You are…Monokuma!?" Tokaku asked.

"Indeed my dear, I'm Monokuma. Allow me to reveal myself." She said before removing the hoodie.

Monokuma revealed to be a woman in her late twenty or early thirty. She had long brown hair and pink-violet eyes, and she was wearing a business suit. The woman was smiling at them. Tokaku recognised her.

"You are…the chairwoman…"

"Yuri Meichi!?" Haru added.

"Yes, my name is Yuri Meichi. I'm Myojo's chairwoman, as well as the headmaster of Hope's Peak. It's nice to meet you face to face, Ichinose-san, Azuma-san."

It was in fact the first time they both met the chairwoman. They never saw her during their time at Myojo Academy.

"So all this time, Monokuma was you!?" Tokaku exclaimed.

"Yes. And Nio-san was my ally, the ringleader, while I was the mastermind. I also have the queen bee ability, so she was forced to obey me, as my loyal worker bee."

"Why…why have you done that!? You erased our memory and forced us to kill each other! We were classmates, friends, and you forced us to participate into this killing game…" Haru exclaimed.

"You should know why. It was you initiation, Ichinose-san. To see if you were worthy of be part of the clan. And you are, congratulation. Azuma-san, it seems that your wish come true. You are both the two survivors of the game, the winners. As your prize, you'll be allowed to leave."

Tokaku remembered that she indeed once wished to be one of the two survivors with Haru, but now that she had recovered her memory, she regretted to have once desired that.

"You graduated, you are now no longer middle school students, but high school students. You'll received new title…hum…Azuma-san will now be the SHSL Bodyguard, and Ichinose-san…the SHSL Queen." Meichi declared.

"Wait! Do you really think you'll get away with this? You caused the death of all our classmates!" Tokaku shouted angrily.

"As I thought, you won't forgive me. Very well. I understand."

Suddenly, the exit door opened.

"Here, you can leave. If you are brave enough to go in the outside world, were despair is everywhere." the chairwoman said with a stoic expression.

"Despair…so the world really have fall into despair." Tokaku mumbled.

"I can't still believe all of this was…for my initiation. You must have another motive…" Haru said weakly.

"Oh, you think so? Well then, if you managed to survive and to find me, I'll tell you the truth." Meichi declared with a calm voice. "You have to live, Ichinose-san. You have to live because you are hope now."

"Hope? No, that's wrong…Haru…doesn't have hope…Haru has faith into…herself, into Tokaku and…into a better future."

The red-pinkish haired girl suddenly felt unconscious.

"Haru!" Tokaku exclaimed, worried.

"Don't worry, she won't die from such a wound. The hospital of this school is near outside, take her there and you should be able to take care of her wound. The rest is now up to you, Azuma-san. As Ichinose-san's worker bee, her bodyguard, you'll have to protect her. And I warn you, the outside world is far more dangerous than before. The despair is strong, you'll need a stronger hope to survive."

"Hope? Did you hear Haru? It's not hope we need, it's faith. Haru has faith in me, this is why I will never fail my duty. I'll protect her no matter what!"

Tokaku took Haru into her arms and rushed toward the exit. When she saw in what state the world was, she stopped. It was worse than she thought. Even the air was hard to breath. The world was completely destroyed. She knew about the riots because of the Tragedy of Hope's Peak, but she didn't know about the Tragedy that made the world fell into despair. Despite that, Tokaku didn't feel any despair, because Haru forbid her to lose to despair.

With a severely injured Haru into her arms, Tokaku left the school, running without hesitation, determined to save her life and to survive into this despairful world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. An epilogue will come eventually to clarify a lot of details that are still unknown. The offical number of survivors will also be reveal in the epilogue.
> 
> Just to clarify: Nio never had her memory erased, Tokaku's curse was broken during her time at Myojo, and they never experienced the Tragedy because they were kidnapped before.
> 
> Trivia: In the original draft, the first class trial was supposed to be entirely different. Since Suzu was originally supposed to die in the fourth case, the fifth case was supposed to be Banba as the victim and Isuke as the culprit, before I changed for Mahiru being the culprit and Isuke the victim (an accidental and unexpected murder), and it would have been Shinya who ended being executed rather than Mahiru, and it would have cause Sumireko to lose her mind. Nio would have fake her death in the sixth case to avoid being killed by Sumireko, who would have tried to kill everyone, and the rest would have been similar to how it end in the final story. Nio was also supposed to fake her death be decapitation rather than her throat being slice.
> 
> Thank you everyone again for all of your support, I wouldn't have made it so far without you. It's my biggest fanfiction. So, what did you think of the story in general, and the ending? Are you satisfy? What do you think will happen in the epilogue? Is everything that was said in the last chapter was the truth? Tell me in a comment! Don't hesitate to leave kudo if you liked the story!
> 
> I'll take a little break before writing the epilogue to continue some other stories, but the epilogue should be written soon. See you next time! Don't hesitate to ask me questions!


	51. Epilogue: Hope or Despair?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! This is the, the epilogue! How the story truly end! Thank you so much again for all the support, I couldn't have made it without you. This is one of the longest story I've written (even longer than one of my books). I hope you'll enjoy! It's the longest chapter I had made for this story.
> 
> Warning: Some OOC is present into this chapter due to the context of this story.

When she saw Haru and Tokaku left Myojo Academy through her IPad, Meichi smiled sincerely. She was glad that Haru managed to survive, along with a person who could protect her. This girl's survival was the only hope she still had.

Suddenly, she felt pain in her chest. Quickly, the chairwoman took her handkerchief and coughed inside. When she finally stopped coughing, she looked inside the handkerchief. There were some blood stains inside. She wiped the blood on her lips and looked back at the IPad. The image had changed, it was now a familiar figure that had appeared on the screen.

"Upupu, I don't how you have access to my screen, not that I care. What I truly wonder is why did you pretend to be me?" Monokuma asked.

It was the first time Meichi could talk directly with him. Even if she could usually only felt mild emotions, what she felt toward Monokuma could be described as hatred.

"I was only giving them a motive to survive into this devastated and despairful world. If they manage to find me, I will gladly tell them the truth." the chairwoman replied stoically.

Since the beginning, Meichi had witnessed the killing game between the Class Black's students via her IPad. Well, it wasn't really her IPad. She had found it when she woke up once, it was probably a gift from Monokuma, or whoever the mastermind was. Since this killing game started, the chairwoman was condemned to watch this cruel game while being powerless, all she could do was to watch her students died one by one. She knew that it was only a way to make her fall into despair, but it didn't work. She was slightly saddened by the death of those youngsters, especially since their deaths had no meaning. She wasn't the kind of woman who was easily affected by the death of others, but when it wasn't necessary, she preferred to avoid useless deaths.

"You seem pretty calm for a woman who witnessed the death of her students. Are you insensitive? Or is it your illness that made you apathetic?"

"Neither of those options. Even if they were my students, it's not like I knew them personally. It's true that it's such a pity to have seen those young ones killed each other for basically nothing, I must admit that those class trials were interesting to see. And I'm quite satisfied with the result. Haru-san survived, and she was quite impressive during the game. I'm sure she'll grow to become a formidable Queen Bee." Meichi replied with her usual plastic smile.

"You live up to your ruthless reputation. Even in your current situation you still keep your pride."

"Now that the game is over, would you dare to show me your identity?"

"Uh, I suppose I can, it's not like we know each other anyway…"

Monokuma removed his hoodie, before also removing his mask. Meichi was kind of surprised. Unlike what she thought and what he pretended, Monokuma wasn't a he, but a she! The person who had been under the disguise of Monokuma was a young woman with short black hair and lilac eyes, with a plain face and freckles. Her expression was emotionless and her gaze seemed fierce, like the one of a wild animal.

"I see…and who might you be?" the chairwoman asked.

"Ikusaba Mukuro. I was previously known as the Super High School Level Soldier." she said with a stoic voice.

"Oh, so you were a Hope's Peak Academy's student. Interesting. But, you don't act nearly similar as you acted when you were Monokuma. I wonder why."

"Being Monokuma and the mastermind was merely a role that was given to me." Mukuro replied.

"So there's someone else who's behind all of this…care to tell me who it is?"

"Uh, I don't think I'm allowed to…Wait! There's someone who seems to want to talk with you."

Mukuro suddenly disappeared from the screen and the image came back to the room where the exit of Myojo was. Meichi rose up from the hospital bed and went to sit on a chair instead, before she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her through the IPad, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

* * *

Weakly, the young girl managed to get back on her feet. She had overcome the terrible pain she was feeling as soon as she saw the person who was now on the screen. It was the person for whom she was ready to kill or to let die anybody for her sake. She was the person she considered to be her queen, to whom she was entirely devoted.

"Yuri…san…" she called weakly.

"Oh my, but you are still alive, my dear Nio-san." the chairwoman said with a kind smile.

The blonde girl almost began to cry tears of happiness. Her beloved queen was still alive and seemed well.

"Eh, I'm hard to kill…this stupid Azuma-san missed my heart. Well, it's understandable, giving that I had Haru-chan's appearance. She taller than me, it should be why Azuma-san stabbed me in the shoulder instead of the heart."

"I see. Well, I'm glad you had survived…" Meichi began to say kindly, before she suddenly shown a cold expression. "But I can't say that I'm particularly proud of you. I'm even kind of disappointed. I didn't expect you to get along with such a…barbaric game."

Nio blenched. She didn't expect to hear something like that from Meichi. What she said felt like a knife strike right into her heart. It was way more painful that the injury caused by Tokaku. She fell on her knees, feeling the despair taking more over her.

"I…I…all I did was for your sake! You…you were sick, I was alone to take care of Myojo Academy. They…they abducted you, they kept you captive somewhere I didn't know, I couldn't find you…and I was locked inside this school. The only way I could make sure you wouldn't be hurt was to obey them! I had no choice! To protect you, I'm ready to do anything! I don't care about the cruelties I have to do, as long as you are safe! So please, I'm begging you, don't hate me! All I want is to protect you, because I love you, you're my queen!"

The blonde girl couldn't take it anymore. It's been several weeks since she was keeping her true feelings inside, she couldn't hide them anymore. Nio burst in tears, she was crying of despair, sadness and regret. She always thought that she hated all of her classmates, that she wished them to die, and it was kind of true. But, she couldn't help herself from thinking that it went too far. They didn't deserve to suffer such a horrible fate. Of course, Meichi's live worth way more for her, but since she feared that the chairwoman might hate her for what she did, Nio couldn't help herself from regretting her actions.

"…Nio-san? I never expected to see you acting so…pitiful. You must have suffered a lot, poor girl. It must have been hard, to be the only one who remembered everything. To see your classmates killing each other without even knowing they were friends, to be force to play a role…such a tragedy. You were forced to witness this horror while being powerless to stop it. Don't worry, there's no way I could hate you. I can see your efforts for my sake, and for that I'm thankful."

Comforted by Meichi's words, Nio managed to regain her composure. Her queen wasn't mad at her, she didn't hate her, she was even thankful to her! It was all that Nio needed, nothing else matter. It didn't even matter if the world was devastated, she didn't care about her classmates anymore, as long as her queen was satisfied of her everything was fine. Nio wiped her tears and stood up.

"But still, you left me in charge of Myojo Academy, of Class Black, while you were being hospitalised and…I ruined everything…by letting her by involved…"

"You did make a mistake, but in the end, I'm satisfied with the result. The point of Class Black was to test Ichinose Haru to see if she was worthy to join the clan. She survived in a killing game way worst that the one I intended while competing with multiple assassins. Sure she wasn't the target, but she still risked her life at each class trials. Speaking of this 'she', who…"

"Wait!"

The screen was suddenly split in half, one side showing the chairwoman, the other a girl Nio had already met.

"Ikusaba-san?! Don't tell me…you were Monokuma all this time!?" Nio exclaimed.

"Ah, yes…it was me." the soldier replied calmly.

The blonde girl was surprised. She didn't expect that Mukuro could acted so playful yet sadistic like she was while being Monokuma. She always thought that the soldier was just an emotionless lackey.

"Is she the 'her' you were talking about?" Meichi asked.

"No, I was talking about…" Nio tried to say.

"Stop there! You can't talk about her! I won't allow…" Mukuro interrupted.

"Would you shut the fuck up you stinky bitch!?"

Suddenly the soldier was kicked out and disappeared from the screen, and another girl took her place. She looked quite the opposite of Mukuro. She was fashionable, gorgeous, and quite flashy, with long blond hair tied in twintails and blue eyes.

"You…!" Nio said with shocked, feeling some goosebumps.

"Yes, it's me, Enoshima-sama! You can all admire my magnificence, if your peasants' eyes can support so much beauty." Junko said with a haughty attitude. "I'm the gorgeous Super High School Level Top Model, but my true talent is Super High School Level Despair! Well, I was also known as the SHSL Analyst once. "

The chairwoman kind of looked confused by the sudden apparition of this flashy girl, but she mainly seemed unimpressed.

"So this is the one behind all of this? This…diva? Really?" Meichi said.

"Hey, what's your problem you old hag!? You've got a problem because a genius such as me can't be such a beauty? That's discriminatory!"

"A 'beauty'…anyone could look good with so much makeup." the chairwoman replied.

"Shut up! You're just jealous because not even makeup can fix your face!"

"…I think I prefer the other girl."

"What!? That ugly deception? You have shit tastes!"

"I just prefer girl who are polite, which is clearly not your case. And you're also not my type."

"Of course, I suppose you're into little girls, you fucking lolicon!"

Nio observed their conversation with silence. She remembered how she met Junko. She in fact met her because of Mukuro, since the soldier had originally been invited to Class Black but had declined because she was already accepted to Hope's Peak. Nio initially thought that the top model and she could get along, since they seemed to have similar interests. She thought that Junko could be a good ally to make things more interesting for the Class Black's event. She even postpone the killing game and let Class Black being a normal class for multiple months just because Junko asked her to let her some times to prepare some stuffs for the event.

Unfortunately, the Class Black's students went missing, except Nio, was well as their teacher Mizorogi. This even was known as the Tragedy of Myojo, since the majority of people thought that those students were dead. And then, the Tragedy that made the world fell into despair happened. Following Hope's Peak Academy's initiative, Nio, while posing as the chairwoman, converted Myojo Academy into a shelter for the remaining students. But, for a reason Nio couldn't understand back then, the surviving students suddenly went outside the school and they…committed a massive collective suicide! The blonde girl had witnessed helplessly to the suicide of those she was trying to protect, Meichi's students. After this tragic event, Nio remained couple of days alone, thinking that she was the only one left from Myojo and in the school.

She then had been contacted by Junko, who revealed to her the entire truth, as well as the fact that she had taken the chairwoman in hostage. This is how Nio ended up forced to take the role of the ringleader during the killing game. She learned that since all this time, her classmates had been hidden inside the school. When she found them, she received the instruction of taking them to various place. It was shock for her to encounter them later, all amnesiacs. Nio was the only one who had her memory intact. She wasn't allowed to tell them the truth, she had to pretend to not know them.

"So, why have you done this? What was your goal?" Meichi asked.

"To test my killing game. You see, I'm the one who made the world so despair-inducing. But, there are still some idiots who believe in hope out there. So I'm planning a truly despairful killing game to crush every single remaining hope that still exists. But first, I needed to test if my game could work, so I chose Class Black as my guinea pigs!" Junko replied cheerfully.

"You mean…you used my school, my own students…for a test…?"

"It was a really good test, I must thanks you for the data your students allowed me to gather. I analysed how this killing game went and I managed to distinguish what went good and what didn't. Allow me to explain to the simple-minded people you are:" Junko began to say with a serious expression. "First of all, the corpses in the coffin was a terrible idea! It allowed one of the participants to fake her death, which is unacceptable! A portrait should be well enough for the deceased. And during the investigation, since the majority of them were assassins so they were able to investigate correctly the corpses. The ones I' planning to put into a similar killing game aren't assassins, so maybe I should give them a fair chance, like a file or something, to help them during the investigation. And lastly, Mukuro as the mastermind was a terrible idea. She sucked! Stupid big sister. She was so incompetence during the fourth case, she let someone faked her death and started a class trial without an actual death! And she looked so childish at the end and ridiculous. Now at least I know she can't be the one being Monokuma for the actual killing game. Speaking of Monokuma, I don't really like the fact that it was a person disguised, its lack some charm and cuteness. Next time I'll used a robot teddy bear instead.

Other than that the killing game was good. The motives worked perfectly, it was hilarious and ironic to see them killing each other over them. The class trials were entertaining to watch, and the executions…so despairful! Too bad there weren't many…it's Muku-nee's fault, if she wasn't so stupid the fourth class trial wouldn't have happen and another actual murder could have happen instead. At least I know that framing someone could actually work, it could be useful if one of my participants become too bothersome. In this case the SMSL Gamester was a threat, her talent allowed her to understand more than others. I've one too who could have a bothersome talent, maybe I should erase all of her memory instead. Speaking of memory erasing, I saw that it wasn't perfect. It seemed that their feelings weren't erased like their memory. It's probably because their subconscious was still intact. I should work more one my memory erasing machine, because I found that it affected a little bit too much the game. And I must admit, I'm not really a fan of the ending, I found it kind of anti-climactic and too hopeful for my taste…But globally it was a nice watch. Maybe a little bit too gay but there's always an audience for that kind of stuff. "

Meichi listened to Junko's explanation with a dumbfounded expression. Nio was surprised, she never saw the chairwoman looking so affected by someone else.

"You…I can't understand your motivation. There's no logic in what you are doing, you have nothing to gain. This is…the pinnacle of irrationality." Meichi replied with contempt.

"That's the beauty of despair! Were you able to taste it? Your precious school, your students, all of this is gone, even your clan is almost extinguished. It must be so despair-inducing for you to know that everything you hold dear had be taking from you, only for a mere test! And on top of that, you're a deadly sick. What a despairful way to go, don't you think?" Junko taunted.

"Eh, life is too short to bother with the past. And like you said, I'm sick, it would be waste if I let despair win over me for the short amount of time I've left. And you're wrong about something. I didn't lose everything. I still have hope, and it's a person. Ichinose Haru is my hope. She's out there and stronger than before, I'm counting on her to restore our clan."

"Uh, Ichinose-san!? That faith-believer optimistic goodie two shoes? You have hope into such a person?! Come on, she herself doesn't believe in hope but faith, which is ridiculous. Faith is the same as hope, but more…annoying. Hope itself is pretty boring. It's so predictable, it's like reading a story while you already know how it end. It would be boring to read, right? It's the same with hope. This is why despair is better, because you never know how it will end. It's like reading a story with multiple different endings that you could never guess. For an analyst like, it's way more interesting this way."

"You're still young an immature. It's not because you already know the ending that you can't appreciate the story. You can find joy into guessing how this kind of ending could happen and still discovered the different steps to get there. But I suppose this kind of interest is too intellectual for someone like you. And you shouldn't underestimate Ichinose-san. Azuma-san was under the influence of a despair video and she managed to cancel the effects on her. If I were you I would be worried about Ichinose-san being in the outside world. Who knows, she could do a lot of damage to your despairful world and bring some hope, don't you think?" Meichi said with a slight smile.

Junko suddenly looked emotionless. Nio wasn't sure if she was angry or simply unpleased with Meichi's reply.

"And I also still have Nio-san. I still have things that I hold dear."

"Huh, Hashiri-san? Or should I say, Kuzunoha-san? You lost her! She's not the same person you know, the despair as taking over her." Junko replied.

It was true that Nio was feeling great despair. She was still sane when the killing game started, even if the murders and executions left her with a slight feeling of guiltiness. It was when she had to fake her own death to frame Suzu that Nio felt the despair winning over her. The gamester was probably the only one in the class that she honestly felt some respect for, and she was forced to cause her death, lying into that coffin while pretending to be dead, when Suzu was being wrongly accused and executed. This is when Nio really lost it. But now that she saw Meichi again, she regained some hope. Still, the despair was currently crushing her and her hope was weak, but she was still able to be hopeful. At least she knew that her dear queen still cared about her.

"You're wrong!" Nio suddenly exclaimed. "I didn't surrender to despair yet! You didn't manage to crush my hope! You may have used me, manipulated me and blackmailed me, I'm still the same as before. Yuri-san didn't lose me, because I'll always remain loyal to her. You can call me the SMSL Despair if you want, but I've nothing to do with the liked of you!"

Junko remained stoic for few seconds, before she suddenly burst in laugh.

"You, the SMSL Despair? You really think that this title refer to you? I thought you only used it to torment Azuma-san, but it seems that you really think that it was you…" the top model said.

"What…what do you mean!? The SMSL Despair, the traitor…it was me, right? Those USB keys you gave to Kenmochi-san, the traitor she was desperately looking for…the one who was also known as the SMSL Despair…was supposed to be me, right? You were referring to me…"

"Eh, nope! You're wrong! Firstly, let me get something straight. I've nothing to do with what was inside those USB keys, and neither Mukuro. Even the motives were prepared by neither of us." Junko revealed.

"Then…who did it!? Who's the SMSL Despair if it's not me!?"

"You said it yourself didn't you? The SMSL Despair was the traitor! And this person is also the one behind what was inside the USB keys and the motives. All I did was to use this person to test my killing game."

Nio wasn't sure to understand. Someone else was allied with Junko? It must be someone from Class Black, otherwise they wouldn't be considered as a traitor. But, Nio would have noticed if someone in the class was as messed up as Junko, right? She was convinced of that. Junko must be only lying to mess with her even more.

"Well, I'll leave you between lovers, or whatever you are to each other. I've things to check with one of my associates. Bye-bye!" Junko said before disappearing from the screen.

Now only the chairwoman was visible on the screen. The latter began to cough severely, which highly worried Nio.

"Yuri-san!"

"D…Don't worry about me, it's nothing unusual." Meichi replied while wiping something from her lips that looked like blood.

"But…earlier, you said that you don't have a lot time left. Are you…going to die soon?"

"…I can't be sure of that. I hope no. Anyway, it's only mean that if you want to find me, you should hurry. Ichinose-san and Azuma-san already left to find me."

"Then where are you?!"

"It would be unfair to those two if I answer this question. You have to find me by yourself."

"But…they think you are the mastermind! They'll kill you…"

"Then, find me before them, and protect me. You said that you'll always be loyal to me. Are you trying to question me, Nio-san?"

"Of course not! It's just that...I'm worried about you. You're my queen, I can't bear the thought of losing you. You're the only hope I've left. Without you, I won't be able to resist to the despair inside of me."

Suddenly, a warm and kind smile appeared on Meichi's lips, which greatly surprised Nio. It was the first time she saw her smile so genuinely.

"Then, use this hope to succeed. Enoshima-san was wrong about hope. It's not predictable. Hope can help you to accomplish unpredictable things and overcome what's nearly impossible. So keep this hope and find me, Nio-san. Because you are also part of the last remaining hope I've left."

This time, it was tears of happiness that fell from Nio's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, the blonde girl rushed toward the exit. The field in front of Myojo Academy was full of half-decomposed corpses, the students who committed suicide in front of the school. Nio didn't mind then and left the school, climbing over them, determined to find and to protect her dear queen despite the overwhelming despair that was now ruling the world.

* * *

Sitting on her bed, Shiena was watching once again the video of Mizorogi's death. It's been almost one hundred times she watched it and she was still not tired of it. She couldn't get enough of this feeling of despair each time she saw the traitor revealed her identity. It was also quite despairful to see her dear teacher being killed so many times.

Suddenly, she noticed that someone was trying to contact her on her laptop. The brunette only activated the sound, to be able to continue to watch the video. Mizorogi was about to be hung and she didn't want to miss it.

"Uh, only sound…are you busy? Hey, hang in there! Did you get it?  _Hang_  in there…come on it was funny!" Junko complained.

Shiena sighed. She was really not in the mood for such a terrible pun. On the screen, Mizorogi was finally being hung, she could saw his life slowly fading away, before he ultimately died.

"Are you perhaps to affect by despair to answer me? Well, I'll continue to talk regardless. The killing game is over. I must admit that even me is slightly impress by you. You are way more interesting that all of those brainwashed despair's lovers."

On the screen, the traitor removed her mask, revealing her identity: Kenmochi Shiena, the Super Middle School Level Despair.

The hacker suddenly laughed madly, enjoying the sweet despair overflowing her. She then regained her composure and activated the FaceTime option. Junko then appeared on her laptop's screen.

"Ah, you finally stopped ignoring me! You know, with your analytic skills and love for despair, if you were more fashionable, you could almost be a passable imitation of me."

"Please, don't insult me. I've no intention of being a mere imitation of you. I'm my own person." Shiena replied coldly.

"So harsh with me! Do you hate me? Is it because you view me as a bully? But you know, after all what you did to your classmates, aren't you yourself what we could called a bully? Maybe SMSL Bully would suits you better…"

An intense feeling of despair immerged in her mind when she was compared to those she loathed the most, bullies. It was so despairful to have become what you hated the most, and Shiena enjoyed this feeling.

"Ah, you're truly the True SHSL Despair, Enoshima. You always manage to give me such intense despair. I must also thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to experience such a despair-inducing situation and tasted personally despair. It helped grown and become a better SHSL Despair, before I was just like all the others brainwashed despair's lovers. Now I understand what despair is truly."

"Yeah, I remember. I've guess right when I decided that it would be interesting to brainwash the heavily bullied girl who strongly believed in hope you were before. It was so fun to crush your silly hope. And with your analytic mind like mine, even if it's quite inferior to me, I knew you could be useful to me. Thanks to you I was able to test my game, you did a good job with your classmates. Mukuro might be the official mastermind, but you are in fact the real one. After all, you're the one who thought about the executions and motives. Thanks to your analyse, you found the best way to bring despair to your classmates. And seriously, erasing your own memory only to be able to make yourself fall into a deeper despair? That's hardcore. You basically toyed with yourself. Even me is somewhat amazed by how far you were willing to go just to taste despair."

"I knew that my old self would have done anything she could to save everyone. She was such a hopeful person…this is why I put those data in the USB key to give myself a goal. I was so desperate to find the traitor for everyone sake, the despair I felt when I discovered that I was the traitor I was looking for since the beginning is immeasurable. To know that I'm the one who caused the death of my dear classmates is unbearable, it's so painfully…despairful. I wanted to die so much, I almost killed myself when I learned the truth."

Shiena remembered the time where she was still only a brainwashed SHSL Despair. She had been like those fanatics who worshiped despair, or more exactly, Junko. Those people didn't understand what true despair was. They were brainwashed to love despair, it's not the same thing as experiencing despair. You aren't support to love it. This is why Shiena erased her memory, to be sure to be able to taste true despair, not just some fake despair created by a brainwashed video. Even if be regaining her memory she also regained the brainwashed effects on her brain, she could at least felt what it was to truly feel despair. She fell into despair not as a brainwashed pawn, but as her original hopeful self.

She recalled all the cruelties she did before the killing game. She destroyed her own group, Collective Dismissal, by exposing them publically. She had committed several act of bullying and she was the one who made the remaining students watched the suicide video to get rid of them. All she felt while doing that stuff was joy. This is how she understood that it couldn't be real despair, because her brain was conditioned to enjoy it. This is how she had the idea to erase her memory and to have Nio being blackmailed to be the ringleader instead of her.

"I'm glad to see someone who gets what despair truly is. But I wonder, why did you allow the chairwoman to have access to the screen to talk to those two?" Junko asked.

"I was simply curious to see how she was going to act. I didn't expect her to pretend to be Monokuma though. I wonder what she's doing now that she saw her students."

"I see. Well, about Yuri-san, she's still at Towa City, but she's currently escaping from the hospital, so I guess she'll leave the town soon. And what about opening the exit door? The rule was that the game could only end if they are two survivors, or if someone get away with murder. Don't tell me that you somehow…wanted to  _save_  those two?"

"Of course not. It's exactly because of this rule that I did this. If they were allowed to leave, Azuma and Ichinose will probably think that it was because they were the only survivors. Isn't way more despairful for them to think that everyone else died? They can't even hope to find other Class Black survivors now. Are you somewhat  _scared_ that Ichinose could find you and use her ability to crush your despair?"

"Eh, she ain't after me, but after the chairwoman! But it's true that I don't want to encounter her, that queen bee ability looks like a big pain in the ass. About what you said, I admit that it's truly despair-inducing, even if I prefer to avoid lying. Speaking of lie, do you want to hear a truly despair-inducing thing?"

"Well, sure I want. What it is?"

"Remember that video I made you watched, the one who brainwashed you to fall into despair?"

"With the SHSL Hope killing all of those student council's members? Of course! This is how I realised how rotten Hope's Peak Academy was to defend that guy and how disgusting their hope was…you crushed my hope thanks to that. What about that?"

"Well, you see…this guy, Kamukura Izuru, the SHSL Hope…was totally innocent! I made the world fell into despair over a lie! It's those student council's members who killed each other, he had nothing to do with this."

Shiena was brutally shocked. The reason why she lost hope was because she thought that the SHSL Hope, the one who was supposed to represent the pinnacle of hope, was a murderer, and because Hope's Peak Academy, the symbol of hope, protected him. It made her think that hope was disgusting and fake, it's what allowed this video the fully brainwashed her. To learn now, after all the horrors she did, that she lost hope over a lie was just too tragically despairful. She even began to have tears coming from her valid eye.

"You mean…I betrayed all of those I hold dear because…of a lie?"

"Yes! Hilarious, isn't it?"

"I, I…no…it's too much…this it too despairful!" Shiena cried, before suddenly laughed. "HAHAHA! Thanks you, Enoshima! You made me feel the best despair! This is just too ironic, so regrettably despairful! I think I even came a little…"

"Ok that was a little bit T.M.I. Well, I also enjoyed seeing your amnesiac self acting so desperately hopeful. The despair I saw on your face when you discovered the truth was beautiful to see."

"Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed seeing my classmates killing each other. You're planning to do the same with yours right?"

"Yup. Thanks to the data you helped me analysed, it should go well. Be sure to watch my broadcast!"

"I'll. I can't wait to see those students being in the same situation as us. I look forward a traumatic reminder that'll cause me to experience even more despair."

"Well, it's not that I don't like talking with you, but I've things to prepare for my killing game. Like fixing my erasing memory machine and captured my classmates. I don't know how it would end for me, which is despairfully great, so I'll say you goodbye just in case. Goodbye, Kenmochi-san."

"Goodbye, Enoshima."

Junko disappeared from the screen. Shiena closed the video. She was once again her own third motive. It was an email from one of the members of Collective Dismissal, Yukarin, asking for help from Shiena, because she was about to get caught by the police. The brunette remembered how despairful it had been for her amnesiac self to discover this. She also remembered the letter Haruki received, the one that made her committed suicide. It was a letter from her younger sister, telling her that their mother's state worsened. It was so ironic that Haruki killed herself to save her mother, since her mother was already dead. She then suddenly remembered something she almost forgot.

"Oh, it's true.  _She_ is still alive. What am I going to do with her…oh, I know. I'll send her to Towa City. Towa group is fabricating weapons to fight the Monokumas,  _she_  could be useful for that. Someone like  _her_  fighting against despair would only cause even more despair. It could be interesting to see. Ah and there's this AI thing Enoshima asked be to hack from this guy, the SHSL Programmer. Maybe I could do something interesting with the data I gathered." she said to herself.

Shiena stood up and when to retrieve something on her nightstand. It was her Hope's Peak Academy's school profile.

"Super High School Level Dramatist…I had made it…if only I've never saw this video, I would have the title I always dreamt of. To know that I lost not only my hope but my dream over a lie, it's just too…tragic."

She then proceeded to tear off the profile into tiny little pieces.

"Well, I can't go back in time, all I can do is to feel despairful guiltiness. Good thing that I enjoy despair!"

She had betrayed her friends, saw those she liked died in front of her eyes and failed to save them. She also been betrayed by some of her friends and ended up disfigured. And on top of that, it was all because of a lie. She doubted that someone like Junko could even experience such a great despair. Deep down, Shiena considered that her despair was stronger that Junko's one.

" _You underestimate me, Enoshima. You may be good to give others despair, but you haven't experience the same amount of despair as me. I'm also a great analyst. Even you admitted to be amazed by how far I went to feel despair. I know you'll try something even more hardcore that what I did to feel despair. You'll most likely cause your own death just to taste more despair. And when you'll die, the world will slowly recover from despair and hope will shine again. When it will happen, I'll be there to rise as the new SHSL Despair, and make the world fall once again into despair. Because there would be nothing more despairful that the world to be once again destroyed after recovering from such a horrible tragedy._ "

* * *

Alone in the meeting room, a young man was analysing the info he gathered about a recent event. Recently, a bunch of SHSL Despair caused a riot, but for a mysterious reason, they left the riot and stopped the massacre. They then went into a forest and did…nothing. Of course, his agents followed them an exterminated them all, but still, their behaviour were quite abnormal. He was desperate to find out what made them acted this way.

A woman of his age suddenly went inside and approached from him, putting a picture in front of him, as well as a cup of coffee.

"Here, Kyosuke! This picture had been taking during the riot. It's quite…disturbing." the woman said.

"Thanks you, Yukizome."

"Aww, I already told you to call me Chisa."

The man ignored her commented and looked at the picture. It was the photo of a young girl, surrounded of people wearing Monokuma mask. Those SMSL Despair where kneeling to her like she was some kind of queen. There was also what seemed to be an androgynous boy near her.

"Those people...they are the SHSL Despair my agents killed. This girl must be related to their weird behaviour…do you know who she is?"

"According to our researchers, her name is Ichinose Haru, she was a student of Myojo Academy, more specifically in Class Black." Chisa replied.

"Myojo? Class Black? You mean…the SMSL project? I thought the SMSL students were killed…what was her talent?"

"She was the SMSL Survivor."

"And the boy with her, is he also a Class Black's student?"

"Boy? You mean that blue haired person? Well, according to their profile, it's a girl, and yes, she was a student at Myojo, in Class Black. Her name is Azuma Tokaku, the SMSL Assassin."

Munakata remained thoughtful. A survivor and an assassin? What a strange pair. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. He looked intensely at the picture, especially at Haru.

" _Ichinose Haru…who are you exactly? Are you hope…or despair?_ "

 

Final number of survivors: 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remaining ship: 1
> 
> So the sponsor for this killing game was Junko, the mastermind/host/Monokuma was Mukuro, the ringleader was Nio (blackmail) and the traitor/true mastermind was Shiena (amnesiac). The chairwoman has nothing to do with this, sorry about the troll.
> 
> Shiena was so pissed to not have enought screentime in the original serie that she became the mastermind xD
> 
> So the survivors are either severily injured, mind control, brainwashed or mentally broken. Yeah! (Did I miss someone?)
> 
> Trivia: Shiena was originally supposed to be the first victim. She was still intented to be until I wrote the third chapter. I changed it because I thought that it would be a waste of potential, giving her really minor role in Akuma no Riddle, and it would have been to predictible and cliche if she was killed by Otoya. I chose her as the traitor and mastermind because she was to me the most unlikely to be the mastermind and I found it just too funny. Originally Nio was supposed to be the SMSL Despair and a true accomplice of Junko. But since I replaced her by Shiena, I decided to make Nio to be blackmailed, so she would be as much a victim as the others (if it's not more). The chairwoman on the other hand as always be intented to not be related to the killing game. At some point I've think of Mizorogi as the mastermind, but I thought that it would be unoriginal.
> 
> As you can see with the epilogue, a potential sequel is planned (Dangan Riddle), about how Haru and Tokaku could encounter Future Foundation. I also planned a story similar to Danganronpa Zero, that show how Junko managed to trick Nio, and maybe showed some of the daily life of Class Black before the Tragedy. I also planned a bonus chapter with the unused exections (I'm sure you all wanted to see all the characters being executed...) or maybe some alternate class trials.
> 
> Anyway, what are you final thought about this story? Do you have some interrogation? Don't hesitate to tell me in a comment!


	52. Bonus chapter: Unused executions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! You thought that I was over with this story? Too bad! When you'll read this bonus chapter, you'll probably wish that it was over xD
> 
> This is the unused executions. They did the same with Danganronpa for the characters who weren't executed in the story. So this chapter contains nine executions, it's how the victims and the survivors of the killing game would have been executed if they had been a culprit. Some of the executions has a context, because they were really likely to happen in the story (like Kouko and Hitsugi) or become they almost happen (Banba). Who would wants to see their favorite characters die a second time in a more horrible way? I'm sorry.
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains graphic violence.

**Targeted assassin**

Azuma Tokaku, the SMSL Assassin, is restrained on a humanoid shaped target meant for shooting training in a basement. Multiple Monokuma teddy bears are there, waiting in a line in front of the blue haired girl. They were waiting their turn to try to hit the assassin.

The first Monokuma in the line throws a knife at Tokaku and he fails. The others try too, but they all miss. They are all terrible shooters. One of them finally hit the assassin. Tokaku uttered a slight groan of pain when a knife stabs in her leg. The Monokumas continue, but none of them manage to kill her. Those who succeeded into hitting her only reached non-vital areas. But it was quite painful for the blue haired girl.

The Monokumas suddenly switch their knife for guns. Their aims are still terrible, but when they manage to hit her with the bullets, it was quite painful. They suddenly begin to shoot all together, but none of them succeed to reach a vital spot. It was almost as if they do that on purpose.

The majority of the knives and bullets reached Tokaku's limbs. None of them reached a vital area. But, the blue haired girl lost too much blood due to the multiple injuries and she finally died from a fatal hemorrhage. The assassin's corpse fall on the ground and a bloody silhouette resembling her remains on the target.

**Worker bees' revolt**

Ichinose Haru, the SMSL Survivor, is trapped inside a room that resemble a beehive's inside. Suddenly a sticky liquid falls from the ceiling right on top of Haru. The survivor has her entire body covers with this tacky golden colored liquid. By the smell of it, Haru realised that it was honey.

She suddenly hears a buzzing noise. When she realises what it was and what was going to happen, Haru begins to shiver in fear. Multiple bees sudden surround her. The red-pinkish haired girl tries to run away, in vain. There was no escape.

The bees catch up Haru and begin to sting her. The survivor screams of pain when the bees continue to sting her, which injects to her a lot of their venin. Too much envenom, Haru finally falls on the ground, while the bees continue to sting her.

Haru ends up dying due to the high concentration of venin in her blood. The bees continue to sting her corpse, who now looks like a bloody pulp covered with big pimples.

**Fancy punch-kicking bag**

Inukai Isuke, the SMSL Kick-Boxer, has her hands chained above her head and she is suspended above the floor. She is in the middle of a combat ring, surrounded with Monokumas wearing boxing gloves.

One by one, the Monokumas begin to punch Isuke, treating her like a mere punching-bag. They even begin to kick her like she was also a kicking-bag.

It doesn't take long for the pink haired girl to be beaten like a pulp. Her body is covered with multiple bruises and her face is all bloody. Her bones even begin to break, beginning by her ribs.

Her own broken ribs stab her from the inside, and with all the hit she receives, Isuke suffers from an internal bleeding and dies from it. Her corpse remains hung, barely recognisable due to all the blood and contusions.

**Empress Kaminaga's coronation**

Kaminaga Kouko, the SMSL Leader, is standing on a platform. A laurel wreath had been put on her head. In front of her there is a group of Monokumas dressed like her classmates who are acclaiming her.

Suddenly, the Monokumas stop clapping and approach from the black haired girl. They surround her easily and show their claws. Kouko isn't enough quick to defend herself and she ends up stabbed multiple times by the Monokumas. She coughs blood and eventually falls on the ground, while the Monokumas left the scene.

When she is slowly bleeding to death, Kouko recalls her sin. She has killed Otoya. Even if she did it to protect her classmates from her, it was still unacceptable for a class representative to kill a fellow classmate. This is why she didn't defend herself when she had been accused during the class trial, because she didn't want to cause more harm to her classmates.

Kouko dies with the feeling that she failed as a leader, lying in a puddle of her own blood.

**Devil Trumpet**

Kirigaya Hitsugi, the SMSL Toxicologist, had been send to a room with a hellish decoration through a trapdoor that opened under her when she had been voted rightly as the culprit who murdered Shiena. Hitsugi's only regret is that Chitaru learned the truth about her being Angel Trumpet. All the toxicologist wished for was to allow Chitaru to escape from this place. If she would have won the class trial, her wish would have been to die instead of the fencer. At least she could have die while taking her terrible secret with her in the grave.

The room really looks like hell. Hitsugi notices what seemed to be a small lava lake. Of course, it as to be fake lava. There is some emanation that is coming from this liquid. As a toxicologist and poison specialist, Hitsugi knows that it is toxic emanation.

The toxic essence invades all of the room. Hitsugi doesn't try anything to fight it. Chitaru knows her secret so she doesn't feel that she has the right to live anymore. The toxicologist begins to feel dizzy and she could barely see. The emanation has become a poisonous fog.

She suddenly sees a silhouette approaching from her. Hitsugi can't believe it when she recognises who it is.

"Chitaru-san…?"

Hitsugi can't believe it is really her. It must be the poison who is a hallucinogen. Chitaru suddenly hugs her and Hitsugi isn't sure it is real or not. She decides to let herself being comfort by a potential illusion and kisses her, before hugging her back, while the poison finally killed her when she's in Chitaru's arms.

**The hacker's performance**

Kenmochi Shiena, the SMSL Hacker, is standing in the middle of a theater stage. Monokumas wearing various different notorious drama masks are dancing around her. There is other Monokumas in at the spectators' seats in front of her.

Shiena doesn't dare to move, too afraid of the Monokumas. Suddenly, the Monokumas tie her up with the wire of a keyboard. Unable to move, the hacker begins to be terrified. The Monokuma grab her and force her to go on top of a scaffold. A computer mouse suddenly falls right in front of Shiena, hanging. The Monokumas make a noose with the wire and put it around her neck. When she understands what is going to happen to her, the brunette tries to fight back, in vain.

The scaffold's trapdoor opens right under her and Shiena fells, which result in her being hangs. The Monokumas' public begins to boo her. They even throw trashes on the stage. Shiena begins to dangerous lack oxygen and she suddenly receives rocks and tomatoes on her. The brunette stops struggling and she finally died. Her corpse is covered in tomato juices. The Monokumas' public suddenly applaud and the Monokumas' actors bow, before the curtain falls.

**How to set a poor girl free**

Sagae Haruki, the SMSL Street Fighter, is assaulted by dozen of Monokumas wearing prisoner clothing in what seems to be a disused factory. Those robotic teddy bears are no match for the strong fighter she is. She is destroying them with bare hand without breaking a sweat.

The Monokumas suddenly stop and go to hit the structure of the factory instead. Haruki raised her head to look at the ceiling and understands what they are trying to do. They are trying to make the place collapse.

When the ceiling begins to crack, Haruki starts to run. She is searching for an exit. Unfortunately, this factory has no escape. The redhead is a prisoner of this place. She is trapped here.

The ceiling finally collapses and the girders and cement's pieces fall right on Haruki. The fighter is crushed by them. She suffers from multiple broken bones and both internal and external bleedings, and probably from a concussion too. She finally dies of her wounds and due to the fact she suffocated under the ceiling's pieces. The redhead has been set free from this world.

**Take out the trash**

Hashiri Nio, the SMSL Illusionist, falls from the class trial's room and lands right into a trash can. Two Monokumas dressed as dustmen close the trash can, trapping the blonde girl inside. They begin the hit the trash can with iron pipes for few seconds, before they lift it.

The dustmen Monokumas go to a landfill. They empty the trash can's content on a conveyor belt. Nio falls on it with other trashes and ends up tie to the conveyor belt. She has minor injuries and dirt on her. It is leading to an automatic compression packing machines. The illusionist tries to escape, in vain. She enters the machine with the trashes.

When she leaves the machine, Nio has become a bloody trashes' brick with an ahoge on top.

**Flashes of darkness**

Banba Mahiru, the SMSL Seamstress, has been rightly voted as the blackened. But, since it is the night, it's Banba Shinya, the SMSL Demolisher, who is going to be executed.

The silver haired girl is locked inside a dark room. When she tries to leave, she notices that a chain fixed to the wall is restraining one of her ankles, restraining her from moving too much.

Suddenly, some Monokumas arrive and Banba is blinded by multiple flashes of light. They are holding photo cameras and take pictures of her.

Shinya begins to panic due to the memories of her traumatic past. The mix of light and darkness in the room caused to Banba to momentarily switch to her Mahiru's persona. She suddenly feels a slightly pain in her arm.

Banba realises that she has be stung by a needle. Other needles sting her, and at each time, the needles become bigger. When she receives a needle with the size of a knitting needle in her leg, Mahiru uttered a scream of pain.

Shinya manages to regain the control of their body. The Monokumas continue to take pictures of her. The silver haired girl closes her eyes to avoid being affected by the flashes of light. The demolisher wants to spare Mahiru the pain. Even if the seamstress was the blackened, Shinya doesn't want her to die while suffering.

The needles continue to stab her, but Shinya refuses to open her eyes. It is more painful to be hit by those without seeing them, but she doesn't care. Until the end, she wants to protect Mahiru, because it is the sole reason of her existence.

Shinya ends up impaled in her chest by a needle with the size of a spear. She falls on the floor, still keeping her eyes close. She sees Mahiru in her mind and hugs her to comfort her, before she finally passes away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm sorry. Don't worry, those aren't canon.
> 
> Haru's execution almost has the same name as her "execution" in the story (when Tokaku tried to kill her)
> 
> I didn't show Sumireko's execution because it was already shown in the story, even if she didn't die from it.
> 
> Kouko and Hitsugi could have been culprits in the original story if some characters made different choices. Kouko would have killed Otoya and Hitsugi would have killed Shiena. Kouko's execution is a reference to Ishimaru's unused execution.
> 
> Btw, in Hitsugi's unused execution, it's the real Chitaru. If Hitsugi would have been executed, Chitaru would have try to save her and ended up dying with her from the poisonous fog. (There's a rule that they have to stay together, otherwise I think the world would collapse. Blame Kouga Yun.)
> 
> Originally Mahiru was meant to be a culprit but the class trial would have happen during nighttime so Shinya would have been executed.
> 
> I don't think the other characters would have be likely to commit murder. Maybe as self-defense or to protect someone else.
> 
> Originally I named Hitsugi's execution as a pun with Angel Trumpet, but I realised that Devil Trumpet was the actual alternate name for the Datura poison she's supposed to use. Angel Trumpet is in fact the alternate name for a closed related poison, Brugmansia. So it's probably a mistake from the author since Devil Trumpet would have be the correct appelation for Hitsugi, but since Brugmansia is often treated as the same as Datura, I don't think it's the author's fault to have been mistaken by common sources.
> 
> I'll remind you that the execution showed in the story were Florist arrangement (Otoya), the fencer's trial (Chitaru), Labyrith of doom (Suzu) and Love live the queen (Sumireko). Do you have a favorite execution? Don't hesitate to tell me!


	53. Akuma no Ronpa The Alternate 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! This chapter is in fact an alternative ending for the first class trial. I thought about it when someone told be that this story would be nice as a visual novel like the Danganronpa games. I thought about it and I came to the conclusion that the thing that I kind of dislikes in the DR games is the lack of alternative routes. So I thought about some choices that could have been done that could have changed the outcome of the first chapter. If Akuma no Ronpa was a visual novel, you'll play as Haru and have to make choices that could lead to different endings. For the first chapter, the first choice would have been for Haru to choice between taking a shower or drinking tea first. If you choose the shower you'll discover the letter Otoya gave Haru as a trap later, but if you choose tea, you would discover it sooner and thus, affect greatly the outcome of the first class trial.
> 
> This chapter is the ending of the class trial that would result from the alternate route caused by the choice of drinking tea rather than taking a shower. I hope you'll enjoy!

All of the living Class Black's students were at their respective seat. They were currently arguing over who murdered the SMSL Florist, Takechi Otoya. The florist corpse was lying in a coffin in the middle of the circle of desks.

From what they seen during the investigation and what they concluded from this in the class trial, Otoya died from a blunt head trauma. The murder weapon had been establish to be the lead pipe covered in blood they had found near the corpse on the crime scene, the classroom near the cafeteria. The two others objects that were found there were Shiena's broken glasses in the victim's pocket and a pair of scissors that Otoya was holding.

Haru found that something was odd with certain details they saw during on the crime scene. She concluded that the victim may not be as innocent as they thought.

"Shiena-san's glasses…they were in Takechi-san's pocket, right?" Haru asked.

"Yes, we found them in her pocket. You think it's an important clue? I thought that we had already established that Kenmochi-san wasn't the culprit. Her alibi is valid." Sumireko replied.

Haru recalled that. Since Shiena's glasses had been found in the victim's pocket, she had been accused. But they quickly concluded she couldn't be the culprit, firstly because they would have no reason for her to leave her glasses in Otoya's pocket after killing her, and secondly because she was in the public bath at the time of death.

"If Takechi-san had Shiena-san's glasses, could we conclude that it was because she stole them? Shiena-san did say that her glasses went missing from the locker room where she had let them! Why Takechi-san would steal her glasses? I think that maybe she was…trying to frame Shiena-san." Haru argued.

"Uh? Frame Kenmochi-san? Why would she do that?" Isuke asked.

"I'm not sure but…maybe Takechi-san was planning to commit murder and she wanted to frame Shiena-san for it." Haru added.

"That's a serious accusation you're making there. I admit that the fact she had Kenmochi-san's glasses is suspicious, but knowing Takechi-san's personality, it's highly possible that she was only planning to do a prank to her." Sumireko said.

"Takechi is a victim! Why accusing her when we should try to find her murderer!? Trying to frame me? Ridiculous! I know she was kind of a bully but to say that she was planning to commit murder? You go too far Ichinose!" Shiena replied.

The brunette was pretty defensive. Haru knew that she kind of got along with Otoya, so it was understandable that she was mad that not only she was accusing the florist of having bad intention, but also to have tried to frame her. But Haru didn't change her mind. She was still convinced of Otoya's culpability and she remembered a detail that could maybe prove her point.

"The letter I received, as well as the one that was addressed to Tokaku-san, do we all agreed they were written by the same person?" Haru asked.

"We already established that. The culprit tried to kill you but since you didn't go to the meeting point the culprit killed Takechi-san instead." Sumireko replied.

"The culprit also tricked Azuma-san because she knew she would have tried to protect you." Suzu added. "This is what you told us earlier to defend Azuma-san."

"Yes, but I realised that something doesn't add up. How the culprit could have known that Tokaku-san wants to protect Haru?"

"Well…she deduced it maybe? I don't see how it's relevant…" Haruki commented.

"No, she's right. It doesn't make sense. I told no one about my goal to protect Ichinose…except one person. I said it to Takechi." Tokaku revealed.

"Wait! You're saying that…Takechi is the one who wrote those letters? That can't be true! If she really intended to kill you then why she was killed!?" Shiena protested.

"Both letters had been signed with the name of someone else. The one Tokaku-san received has Haru's name and the one I received has Shiena-san's name. Kaminaga-san shows us the letter earlier so it can't be denied."

"Then…it doesn't mean that it was Takechi who wrote them! The culprit could have tried to frame me and by coincidence Takechi stole my glasses…"

"The fact that Takechi-san died in the room where the culprit tried to trick Ichinose-san is really suspicious. And it's true that since she had Kenmochi-san's glasses on her and that the culprit tried to frame her seems to be a proof that she's the author of those letters. It looks like she stole the glasses in order to leave them on the crime scene to incriminate Kenmochi-san. And let's not forget she was holding scissors, which could be a potential murder weapon." Hanabusa said.

"I don't want to try to deny this possibility, but what if it was true? I don't think it would change something. Takechi-san is dead, even if she really intended to murder someone it doesn't really matter at this point. We still need to find her murderer." Chitaru said.

"You're wrong! It does matter! Because if Takechi-san really tried to kill me, it means that she isn't an innocent victim, which could means that the culprit didn't have bad intentions! Maybe the culprit killed her in order to stop her from committing murder. And I think I know who this person is…" Haru began to say.

At this point everyone gave an alibi. But one of them wasn't actually proved. And there were only one of them who could have possibly known about Otoya's intention.

"Kaminaga-san, you're the one who discovered the corpse. You said you found it when you went to the classroom right after you saw my tried to break the curfew. But if we think about it, there's almost thirty minutes between the moment you left for the classroom and when you discovered the corpse. What were you doing during all this time?" Haru asked.

"What…what are you insinuating…?" Suzu mumbled with a gloomy expression.

Kouko remained quiet for a moment while showing a rather cold expression.

"I was doing a patrol before." the SMSL Leader finally replied.

"You seemed quite eager to go there though, so why would you have done your patrol before? You could have done it after." Haru said.

"Well…even if the letter you received kind of bother me, I was already doing a patrol so I couldn't interrupted it only over that…"

"Only over that? But you said it yourself, that we shouldn't break the curfew! The purpose of your patrol was too exactly made sure that everyone respects it. The person who wrote this letter was clearly breaking it, so it should have been your priority to go meet them!" Haru insisted.

Haru didn't really want to accuse Kouko, but she had to. She was convinced that the black haired girl had her reasons to do what she did. Kouko really seemed determined enough to take drastic measures to protect them, even if she had to kill for.

"This can't be right! Kouko-chan is our class rep. She had sworn to protect us! Why would she have commit murder? That doesn't make any sense! You have no actual proof that she is the culprit!" Suzu protested.

"That's wrong! I have proof! Hanabusa-san said she listened to every sound in the dorm's corridor after she heard me talking with Kaminaga-san. She said that there were only 4 people that didn't come back to their room before the body discovery. We already established that those people were Haruki-san, who was at the vending machine, and Shuto-san, Shiena-san, and Shinya-san were still at the public bath, which means that Kaminaga-san was one of those who came back to their room. Why would she go back to her room after she discovered a corpse?" Haru argued.

"She could have go back to her room before discovering the corpse and then left again." Suzu tried to argue.

"Kaminaga-san did come back, but it was before the time of death and she went in Shuto-san's room. Other than that, no one else came and then left again. So I must admit that it's quite suspicious that Kaminaga-san went back to her room after she discovered the corpse and then knocked at our door to tell us about the corpse. The only reason I see is that she needed to change clothes because she had blood on her. Ichinose-san, I'll leave the rest up to you, since you're the one who accuse Kaminaga-san first." Sumireko replied.

Haru hesitated for a moment. She really didn't want to do that. Kouko remained silent, like she didn't have the intention to protest. Suzu on the other hand looked totally distressed and ready to rebut at any time. Haru finally decided to expose what she thought was the truth.

"At some point yesterday night, Takechi stole Shiena-san's glasses when she was in the public bath. After, she left a letter to Tokaku-san, asking her to join her in the storage room and used my name to lure her. Tokaku-san discovered the letter and went to the storage room. Takechi-san must have been hidden near the storage room and when Tokaku-san went inside, she locked her inside, taking advantage of the fact that the handle could only be locked from the outside. She did this in order to make sure that Tokaku-san couldn't get in her way.

Takechi-san then let me a letter, asking me to go see her in the classroom near the cafeteria. She used Shiena-san's name. When I tried to go to the classroom, the culprit stopped me, because I was breaking the curfew. I showed the letter to the culprit and she decided to go in my stead. I went back in my room and go to sleep. Since the culprit was suspecting the letter to be a trap, she probably tried to find something to defend herself and found a lead pipe.

The culprit arrived before Takechi-san in the classroom and waited there. When the culprit saw Takechi-san arrived, she must have understood that it was truly a trap since she was expecting to meet Shiena-san. I believe that the culprit understood that Takechi-san's intended to kill me and must had concluded that she was a threat for everyone, so she decided to kill her by hitting her with the lead pipe on the head. She left the murder weapon there and went back to her room to wash herself and changed clothes. She then went to knock at everyone's door and pretend to have discovered the corpse.

And the culprit is none other than you, Kaminaga Kouko, the Super Middle School Level Leader!" Haru accused.

Everyone remained silent for a moment after Haru's explanation.

"Well, Kaminaga-san, do you have any protestation before we vote?" Hanabusa asked.

Kouko didn't reply. Suzu seemed like she was about to protest, but she said nothing. She seemed to have reluctantly accepted Haru's truth.

"Well, it seems that everyone is ready. It's time to vote!" Monokuma exclaimed.

And so they proceeded to vote. With some regrets, Haru voted for the student #3. It seemed that Kouko was voted guilty unanimously.

"You bastards…are right! Kaminaga-san was the culprit who murdered Takechi-san! Congratulation." Monokuma declared.

"I can't believe it…Kouko-chan…why!? You…didn't have to go that far…even if it was for our sake…" Suzu said with a desperate expression.

"Uh? Wait, she killed Takechi-san to have her wish, right? Because if it was to protect us, she would have denounced herself right from the start…" Sumireko commented.

"No, that's wrong. I already said it. Kaminaga-san did it because she viewed Takechi-san as a threat. Isn't right, Kaminaga-san?" Haru asked.

"Yes, you are right. Since Monokuma confirmed it himself, I've no reason to hide the truth. I arrived before Takechi in the classroom and I hid. When I saw her came inside rather than Kenmochi, I found it suspicious. But I didn't intend to kill her at that moment. She waited for a moment, and…I heard mumbled that since Ichinose didn't come, she would go killed Kenmochi instead. This is how I understood that she was a threat. I knew that if she remained alive, she would surely kill. At that moment, my body almost moved on its own, and I hit her on the head with the lead pipe."

"That can't be true…so Takechi really intend to frame me…and even to kill me…" Shiena said with a shocked expression."

"It still doesn't explain why you didn't admit your crime before the class trial began." Sumireko insisted.

"I…I couldn't. Monokuma contacted me during the investigation to ask me about my wish. I told him that the only thing I wished for was to stop this killing game, but he said that I couldn't wish for this. I told him that if it was the case I would denounce myself, but he threatened to kill everyone if I did. So I've no other choice than remained quiet about this and hoped that you would discover the truth."

"Monokuma…how dirty of you…" Suzu said bitterly.

"Oy, a murder finally occurred, of course that I wouldn't have allowed the blackened to reveal herself and ruined my class trial!" Monokuma replied.

"I…I'm ready to accept my judgement. I've committed an unforgivable sin. Even if it was to protect you, as your class rep, I shouldn't have killed a fellow classmate. I failed as a leader. I couldn't meet your expectation of me…"

"No…no you're wrong! Kaminaga-san, you…you are a good class rep! Even if I don't condone murder, Haru is convinced that you did what you think was right to protect us. You protect my life, and possibly the one of Shiena-san too! So no, you didn't fail! This is why, even if you sinned, Haru forgives you."

"Kouko-chan…don't worry. I understand. You can leave the rest to me." Suzu declared.

Tears began to come from Kouko's eyes and rolled on her cheeks.

"I…I'm sorry. I'm happy that you are willing to forgive the failure I am. I wish that I could have been a better leader to all of you. I wanted to prevent a murder to occur but I ended up being the first one to kill. I'm sorry for that. Now all that I hope for is for you to stop this madness. Don't do the same mistake as me! Don't commit the sin of killing a fellow classmate. This is all that I wish for now…" Kouko said tearfully.

"Ok, I've enough. I don't like touching moments. It's now time for the execution. It's punishment time!" Monokuma cheerfully said.

Suddenly, a collar connected to a rope grabbed Kouko's neck. The rope then began to draw her. A secret door had opened, the rope was coming from there. Suzu stretched her hand in a futile attempt to reach the black haired girl.

"Kouko-chan!" Suzu called desperately.

But it was too late. Kouko fell on the floor and the rope drew her inside of a corridor that was behind the secret door. Suzu followed her, as well as everyone else, but all they managed to do was to witness powerlessly their class rep's brutal execution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kouko's execution is the same showed in the bonus chapter "Unused execution". In this route Kouko is the culprit because due to Haru's action, she arrived before Otoya in the classroom.
> 
> The other choices you could have done with Haru after being caught by Kouko while breaking the curfew you have been to either show her the letter or hide it. If you hide the letter, either you drink tea or take a shower, Haru would have go to the meeting point and be killed by Otoya. If you arrived before Otoya, she would have killed you by surprised, thus you would have seen her. You'll have switch character and this character would have become the MC. If you arrive after Otoya, she'll still kill you and you would have become Otoya and your goal would have been to get away with murder. It would also have been possible to try to distract Kouko and stop her from going to the classroom. It would be in vain, but depending of your other choices before, it could have resulted with Kouko not being able to give her letter to Suzu, which would have great consequence for the story later.
> 
> So the possible outcome for the chapter 1 would habe been:
> 
> Route 1: The same as in the original story.
> 
> Route 2: Kouko killed Otoya and become the blackened, before being executed.
> 
> Route 3: Haru arrived after Otoya in the classroom and is killed by her. Then the MC you become Otoya.
> 
> Route 4: Haru arrived before Otoya in the classroom and is killed by her. Another character would become the MC.
> 
> Route 5: The same as route 1, but Kouko didn't have time to give her letter to Suzu.
> 
> Do you like this concept of alternate routes? Because I've planned to write other alternates outcome for the other class trials, so tell me if it interest you!


	54. Akuma no Ronpa The Alternate 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! This is another bonus chapter, another one based on my idea about a visual novel version of this story. Last time it was an alternate class trial where Kouko was Otoya's murderer due to Haru's different action (taking tea rather than taking a shower, resulting in her finding Otoya's note sooner). This chapter won't be a continuity of the last alternate chapter but rather the continuity of another scenario for the first chapter.
> 
> If Haru had chosen to not show the note to Kouko, she would have go to the classroom and be killed by Otoya. If before that she took a shower, she would arrive after Otoya thus see her murderer. If it was a game you would have become Otoya and try to get away with murder. If Haru took a tea, she would arrived before Otoya and be killed by behind, which would result with the player not knowing who the culprit is. So you would control another character who would become the new protagonist: Chitaru.
> 
> This chapter is an alternate second class trial where Haru is dead (and Otoya had been executed). As Chitaru you would have two options when she was looking for Hitsugi: Search the area where the laboratory is or go check the cafeteria first. If you choose to first option, it would end up almost the same as the original story, but if you choose to go at the cafeteria, the outcome would be totally different. This chapter is based on the second option. I hope you'll like it!
> 
> ps: In case you didn't know there's a sequel for Akuma no Ronpa named Dangan Riddle. Don't hesitate to check it if you want to know what happened to the survivors after the killing game.

Chitaru couldn't help herself from glancing at Shiena's corpse in the coffin. If was heartbreaking to see the hacker's lifeless body, her who was so sweet an innocent. She certainly didn't deserve to die. This is why the fencer was determined to find the culprit who murderer Shiena, to avenge her unfair death.

The second class trial was going since a while now. They had established that the murder weapon was poison; Shiena was poisoned to death. Her corpse had been discovered in the inner garden, lying in a flowerbed of gelsemiums. It was Chitaru who had the gruesome surprise to discover her body while she was searching for Hitsugi.

"Like we said before, the culprit must have used poison in order to murder Kenmochi-san. The proof is the lack of injury on the victim's body and the empty bottle of poison that was in the trash can in the laboratory." Kouko said.

"As expect from our wonderful class rep! Your deductions are always flawless." Suzu praised.

"Argh, you're such a suck-up." Isuke grumbled.

"And according to everyone testimony, the last time Kenmochi-san was seen was around 20h and the body discovery was slightly before 21h, so the murder must have occurred during that hour." Sumireko added.

"I see. So to confirm our alibi, we must prove that we couldn't do the murder during that time. What were you doing between 20h and 21h?" Kouko asked. "In my case, I was in the dormitory to make sure everyone was about to go in their room before the curfew."

"And since I'm following you all the time I can confirm that it's true! Which also confirm my own alibi." Suzu added proudly.

"I was in the public bath with Isuke-sama!" Haruki claimed.

"It's true." the pink haired girl confirmed. "The weirdo with the scar was also there."

"I was in my room and I didn't go out during that time." Hitsugi said.

"I was also in my room, Kaminaga-san must have seen me." Hanabusa said.

"I confirm it's the truth." Kouko replied.

"I was wandering in the school looking for Kirigaya." Chitaru said.

"I was in the public bath too!" Shinya declared.

"I'm the second person who discovered the corpse, so it proves that I can't be the culprit." Nio claimed.

Chitaru noticed that Tokaku didn't say anything. Since Haru's murder by the hand of Otoya, the poor girl seemed dead inside. Azuma must have really like Haru to be in such a state after her death.

"Uh, why so quiet, Azuma-san? Is it because, I don't know, you don't have an alibi? Is it a way for you to give up and confess your crime?" Sumireko taunted.

"Wait, don't jump to conclusions too soon! The announcement was triggered when Azuma saw the corpse. She's the third person who discovered the body after me and Hashiri, so she can't be the culprit!" Chitaru declared.

"Well then, who's the culprit? You're so eager to defend others, I think it's time you do some accusation for a change, don't you think?" Hanabusa replied with a smirk.

Chitaru tried to think about a potential culprit. For the moment, everyone's alibi seemed legit. She then recalled that Shiena died poisoned and she remembered the reason why she came to Class Black. The fencer felt anger slowly surging inside of her.

"I know who the culprit is. It must be An…" Chitaru began to say.

"Angel Trumpet, isn't right?" Suzu interrupted her.

Everybody looked quite surprise to see the gamester opening her mouth to say something else than praising Kaminaga.

"How did you know…?" Chitaru asked, confused.

"Because our marvelous class rep found an important clue near the incinerator. Aren't we all so lucky to have such a wonderful leader like Kouko-chan?"

"Of course…and here I almost thought for once you have enough independency to have your own deduction…guess I was wrong." Sumireko said, patronizing.

"I'm pretty sure you're the one who pointed me that clue, but ok…Anyway, here's what I found." the SMSL Leader said.

Kouko took out a half-burned small piece of paper and showed it to everyone. There was something written on it. Chitaru read it out loud.

"…am Angel Trum…" the fencer read.

"From what Shuto told us, I suppose the full sentence must be I'm Angel Trumpet." Kouko said. "Namatame, you seem to know that person. Care to explain?"

"Angel Trumpet is an assassin, the ace of Datura Organisation. It's an assassin specialise in poison, they used poison to kill their target, especially the one that can be found in the Datura flower." the Chitaru answered.

"Uh, another killer? First Jack the Ripper of the 20th century and now Angel Trumpet? Who's next to be revealed as a killer?" Nio commented with a grin.

Everyone looked kind of uncomfortable with Nio's statement.

"Anyway, maybe we should try to examine carefully each alibi. I've the feeling some of them are quite odd." Suzu suddenly said. "What do you think, Kouko-chan?"

"You are right. I noticed it too. Two alibis are directly contradicting each other." the class rep replied.

Chitaru tried to think about it. Which alibis are they talking about? When recalling everyone's alibi, the fencer suddenly realised with terror the truth. But before she could say anything, someone suddenly started to speak.

"Namatame-san, you and Kirigaya-san are currently sharing a room, is that right?" Sumireko asked.

"Uh…yes. She's sleeping in my room." Chitaru confirmed hesitantly.

"So when she said that she was in her room, I presume she was referring to yours." Hanabusa added.

"Well, yes. Chitaru-san's room is also my room now." Hitsugi didn't deny.

"That's what I thought. Then, how is it possible for you Namatame-san to be wandering in the school to look for Kirigaya-san if she was in your room all that time?" the lady asked with a smirk.

"Lying is forbidden. As your class representative, I order you to speak the truth!" Kouko declared.

"Ah, so assertive…I really like that about you." Suzu commented.

Chitaru was confused. She had checked her room after 20h and Hitsugi wasn't there, and she confirmed that she wasn't talking about her original room. The only conclusion she could draw from this was that the toxicologist was lying. But why? Should she call her on that lie? Or choose to trust her and tried to find an excuse for this incoherence. She had a choice to make between justice, which is to do everything she could to find Shiena's murderer, or her love towards Hitsugi and trust her.

The fencer then realised that there was only one reason for someone to lie in a class trial, especially about their alibi. This is because of that reason that Chitaru decided to be honest. So she chose justice.

"Kirigaya…why are you lying? I was looking for you before when I returned to our room, you weren't there and it was passed 20h!" Chitaru revealed.

"Chitaru…san? You…you can't be right, you must be confused. I was there, remember? I was taking a shower…" Hitsugi replied nervously.

The little one was gazing at her with pleading eyes, like she was begging her to pretend this obvious lie was the truth. It almost broke Chitaru's heart to see Hitsugi with that pitiful expression, she was even almost about to give up. But she couldn't. She had chosen justice. It was her duty to uncover the identity of the culprit, especially if it was Angel Trumpet, so justice could be done.

"No, you weren't taking a shower. I searched all the room, you weren't there. You lied. You were outside my room between 20h and 21h!" Chitaru replied.

"Well well, if even you two are arguing, it must be serious. It's obvious to me that one of you is lying, which could only mean that…one of you is the culprit." Sumireko said confidently.

"So one of you must be Angel Trumpet." Suzu added.

"I'm not! Angel Trumpet is my enemy, she killed the daughter of my teacher, I came in Class Black in order to avenge her! Here's the proof!" Chitaru said while taking out an envelope from her pocket and showing it to everyone. It was her second motive. "This is my darkest secret. Look at it and you'll see that I can't be Angel Trumpet."

"I came to Class Black in order to eliminate Angel Trumpet." Kouko read out loud. "Well, it looks like a solid proof to me. If Namatame has her motive, it means that the paper I found near the incinerator can't be hers."

"Wait Kouko-chan, what proves that it's really her own motive?" Suzu suddenly said.

"You…are right. I'm sorry Namatame, but you could have stolen this from someone else."

"Yes she does! It's my darkest secret!" Hitsugi suddenly said. "I came to Class Black because…Angel Trumpet killed my parents and…I want revenge."

"That sounds like an obvious lie." Sumireko replied.

"I'm not lying! You have no proof that I was the one who threw her motive in the incinerator! And since I'm in the same room as Chitaru-san, it would have been easy for her to steal my envelope."

"Ah, you have a point." the lady said.

"Wait, there's something I forgot to mention! When I was leaving the public bath, I saw Kirigaya-san… near the incinerator. It wasn't turn on, but I could feel the warm coming from it." Haruki suddenly revealed.

"Liar!" Hitsugi shouted.

"Isuke was with her and I can confirm that she's telling the truth." the pink haired girl confirmed.

"Ah, and she was holding some kind of…toy gun I think. Like a water pistol, with was seemed to be a reservoir for water. It looked quite realistic." the redhead added.

"I guess it would be odd if both of you were lying. I wouldn't see the point." Sumireko commented.

"The toy gun you saw, did it look like this one?" Suzu suddenly said while taking out a gun.

The gamester was holding some kind of black pistol with a small container on top.

"Yes, that's it…! Wait, where did you find it…?" Haruki said.

"Shuto…we were together all the time, how could you possibly found this without me knowing?" Kouko asked with a suspicious glare.

"I found it not so long after we all discovered the corpse. When you were busy ordering everyone in the inner garden when the investigation like the amazing leader you are, I took the liberty to take some advance and looked for clue. I found this gun hidden in a bush." Suzu explained with a sly smile.

"And you wait until now to reveal this important clue? Why?" Sumireko asked with an annoy look.

"Because it wouldn't have been fun to say it right at the beginning. I'm trying to make this game more entertaining." the golden eyes girl replied.

"It's not a game! Shuto, if you have important clues, tell it as soon as possible. Our classmates' lives are at stakes!" Kouko reprimanded.

"Ah, my dear Kouko-chan…don't forget that I'm the SMSL Gamester. Dealing with games is my talent, it's normal that I'll consider this situation as a game if I want to have a chance to survive and use my abilities. And no, I don't think I should say the clues I found myself right at the start. It wouldn't help our classmates at all. I'm doing this for their sakes in fact. If we do all the thinking, what would happen to them if we…died? If we don't force them to think be themselves and to search clues, they won't survive long. It's like children; you can't take them by the hand all there life if you want them to grow up as independent adult…"

"Such arrogance! We're not kids…and aren't you the same age as us?" Isuke replied.

"Ah, you'd be surprise…" Suzu said with a mysterious smile. "Anyway, like I said I found this gun inside a bush in the inner garden. As you can see there the inscription poison on it, which was by the way a terrible design idea, so it seems obvious what this gun's utility is. The real question is, why it was hidden at the crime scene?"

Chitaru tried to think about it. It was obvious at this point that the gun belong to Hitsugi. There was no reason for both Isuke and Haruki to be lying. Then, if that weapon was hidden here, the reason was clear.

"It must be the murder weapon!" Chitaru declared. "It's obvious. Kenmochi died poisoned, and this gun seems to be able to shot poison spray."

"But why it was hidden near the corpse? Isn't quite a stupid decision from the culprit?" Sumireko commented.

"Isn't obvious? It's because she didn't have the time to hide it somewhere else, which me she was still at the crime scene when Namatame discovered the corpse. So she must have hidden it quickly to not get caught with the weapon on her. This person is also the only one I didn't saw coming by the entrance door. In fact, she was the last person to have joined us, because she was hidden in the inner garden all that time. Isn't that right, Kirigaya, or should I say, Angel Trumpet?" Suzu declared.

A single drop of sweat fell from Hitsugi's forehead was the small girl looked more and more nervous.

"I don't want to believe that such a small girl could be able to kill and to be an assassin, but it seems to be the case…" Haruki said.

"And it's quite fitting for a toxicologist to be Angel Trumpet." Isuke added.

Chitaru suddenly slammed her fist on her desk with rage.

"Why!? What have you killed Kenmochi? Why have you killed all those people, Kiri…no, Angel Trumpet!?" the fencer shouted with anger.

"Namatame, calm down. Even if all clues point to her, you shouldn't accuse her like that…" Kouko tried to say.

"No, it's alright. I've no reason to hide it anymore. I killed Kenmochi-san in order to protect my secret, but since you found out that I'm Angel Trumpet I've no more reason to lie. Anyway, it's not like I had plan to survive this class trial…" Hitsugi confessed.

"So you admit it…well, at least we can end this boring trial." Isuke said.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Sumireko asked.

"Nothing important since I'm about to get execute anyway. Just began to vote already." the toxicologist replied.

"Even if you confess, I'm still not satisfied with this conclusion…" Suzu began to say. "This mystery seems incomplete."

"Shuto, the culprit herself confessed her crime. Let's respect her honesty and proceed to the voting." Kouko said.

Since no one protest, they all voted like they did before Otoya's execution. Chitaru lifted the top of her desk and spotted the button number 4 and hesitated for a slight instant before pressing it. She came to Class Black to bring justice for the murder of her teacher's daughter, and so she did. The fencer then closed her desk. When she looked at the screen, she discovered that everyone voted for Hitsugi as the blackened.

"You bastards…are all right! Kirigaya Hitsugi is the culprit who killed Kenmochi-san!" Monokuma declared.

"Kirigaya…so it's true. You are…Angel Trumpet…" Chitaru mumbled with a shaking voice.

Hitsugi looked like she was about to cry, but no tears fall from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Chitaru-san…" the little one said with a sad expression.

"But still, why Kenmochi-san of all people?" Suzu asked.

"She was…getting in my way. I didn't plan to kill her at first, but when I saw her alone in the inner garden, I couldn't resist…I had to keep my secret safe at all cost."

"I see, that's what I thought. It was an act of jealousy." the gamester said.

"And since you probably saw Namatame-san's motive, you decided to commit murder in order to avoid being killed by her." Sumireko claimed.

"No, that's wrong! I…all I want was...to not hurt the one I love, to not be hated by her…but I failed. So I'm ready to die. At least, even if my wish wasn't granted, yours will be, Chitaru-san."

"Kirigaya…what do you mean…the one you love?"

This time, tears rolled on Hitsugi's cheek as she smiled weakly.

"Yes. It's you. Chitaru-san, I love you…"

"Ok, that's enough. I hate those lovely dovely scene, it's time for the execution. PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monokuma exclaimed.

Suddenly a trapped door opened right under Hitsugi and the toxicologist disappeared. Chitaru remained impassible for few seconds while the one she viewed as an important friend not so long ago was about to be brutally executed in front of their eyes.

The fencer then suddenly remembered everything

She and Hitsugi had been classmates before and close friends. She then learned that she was Angel Trumpet and attempted to kill her during a play as they were playing Romeo and Juliet and tried to kill herself out of grief. But she failed at both. And she then eventually forgave Hitsugi and accepted her feelings towards her, they even started dating…

And despite that, she chose justice over love and voted against her…no, she chose revenge. But maybe it wasn't too late to change it and choose love instead.

"Hitsugi!" Chitaru shouted desperately as she jumped inside the trap door before it closed behind her.

The fencer landed in a room with a hellish decoration. She could barely see before of some kind of fog.

"What is it? Some kind of emanation? And why do I feel…dizzy?" Chitaru thought before realising what was happening. "No…it must be…poison…"

She then noticed what looked like Hitsugi's silhouette. She immediately approached her and hugged her. She couldn't talk because of the poison, so she hoped that the hug was enough to make Hitsugi understand that she forgave her and that her love was mutual.

Hitsugi suddenly made her leaned and kissed her on the lips and hugged her back. Then, the little one's body felt slack…this is when Chitaru noticed that she was dead.

With teary eyes, the fencer laid on the ground the corpse of her girlfriend and lie by her side while everything became dark around her, before she finally joined her in death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was kind of depressing.
> 
> So yeah, if Haru died, you got short routes. That what happened when you get the MC killed.
> 
> If Kouko hadn't died, Suzu would have been slightly different, acting like a fangirl with Kouko while sneaking some valuable clues like the troll she is. It could have been fun to write.
> 
> Poor Tokaku who said nothing 'cause she's too depress that Haru died.
> 
> Anywaym don't forget to check Dangan Riddle if you want to know what would be the fate of the survivors!


	55. Akuma no Ronpa The Alternate 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, happy new year! This is the third alternate class trial! It's based on a route almost identical to how things go in the original story, but with one little detail different. I'll let you try to figure it out while reading this bonus chapter! All I'll confirm right now is that Otoya still killed Kouko and Chitaru still killed Hitsugi, and that the detail different happened in the first case. Without further ado, I hope you'll like this alternate class trial!
> 
> btw the sequel Dangan Riddle is now complete, don't forget to go read it to know what happen to the survivor!

It had been a while since the third class trial had begun. The remaining survivors had managed for the moment to establish everyone alibis, the murder weapon and the time of death.

The victim of this case was Banba Mahiru, the SMSL Seamstress. Her corpse had been found in the public bathroom. Due to the marks around her neck, they had established that the victim had been strangled to death with a rope, or something resembling a rope. Since the last person who saw Banba, which was Sumireko, saw her around 7h10 and that the body had been found at 7h35, then it was to assume that the murder occurred between that time interval. The first people who discovered the body were Nio, Sumireko, Suzu and Shiena.

Haru tried to recall everyone's alibi. In her case, she was with Tokaku at the cafeteria. Isuke was also with them and Sumireko had been there too since Banba left to go to the bathroom. Shiena and Suzu had hang out together until the body discoverer in the sitting room and had seen Nio not so far. Haru then realised that someone never had an alibi in the first place.

"Haruki-san…what were you doing between 7h20 and 7h35?" Haru suddenly asked.

"Uh? I…I was in my room, then…I went to the gymnasium, to train."

"So you don't have an alibi." Suzu said.

"Wait a moment…are you trying to say that Haruki is the culprit!?" Isuke fulminated.

"Well, Sagae-san is the only one without an alibi, so it's safe to assume that her being the culprit is a high possibility." the gamester replied.

"Oy, wait…I'm not the culprit! Yeah I might not have someone to confirm my alibi, but it doesn't prove that it's me who killed her! You have no proof that I'm the culprit!" Haruki protested.

Was that true, that there wasn't any proof? Haru tried to think about it. She remembered that during the investigation she went to the gymnasium's storage room and found that there was a particular object that felt out of place there. This object might be a proof of Haruki's guilt.

"That's wrong! In the gymnasium's storage room, there was an object out of place, and it was a rope!" Haru revealed.

Haruki suddenly looked nervous. She even began to have cold sweat.

"Uh…I don't see how it's a proof that I'm the culprit." the redhead replied.

"The murder weapon was most likely a rope, and the one Haru saw in the storage room was a regular one, not the kind they usually had in a gymnasium's storage room. The fact that you were in the gymnasium before the body discovery is suspicious." Haru replied.

"I see. Sagae-san strangled Banba-san to death with the rope and tried to hide the murder weapon in the gymnasium's storage room." Suzu concluded.

"Sagae-san…is that true!? Did you really killed Banba-san?!" Sumireko asked angrily.

"No I didn't, I swear! I would have never hurt a girl like Banba-san, you have to believe me!" Haruki pleaded.

"Yes, Haruki certainly doesn't have the guts to commit murder!" Isuke concurred.

"Well apparently, yes she has the guts to. Last night I saw Sagae-san wandering in the school with a rope. At that time I did find it suspicious, but I didn't conclude that she was planning to commit murder either. But with the way that Banba-san died and the fact that the rope was at the last place Sagae-san went before the body discovery, I'm almost certain that she's the culprit." Suzu said.

"If what Shuto said is right, than yes, she must be the culprit! We both saw Sagae going inside the gymnasium around 7h30, so the fact that she went there can't be deny!" Shiena added.

"Sagae-san…you really are the culprit…do not try to lie anymore! How dared you to have killed Banba-san!" Sumireko shouted. "All proves are against you, there is nothing left to prove your innocent!"

Haru wondered if it was true. Was Haruki really the culprit? Were they really nothing to prove her innocence? Haru understood that something might be wrong with that statement.

"Wait a moment…if Haruki-san killed Mahiru-san before going in the gymnasium, it means that the murder occurred between 7h10 and 7h30. But if I recall correctly, Isuke-san said that she saw Haruki-san in the morning. Which time was it?"

"Uh? Haruki…she came to see me this morning in my room and we talk a little…it was around 7h20." Isuke replied. "After that I went to the cafeteria."

"So in the middle of the time interval when Mahiru-san was killed. Doesn't it seem odd for her to be the culprit?" Haru said.

"Well, she could have commit the murder before she went to see Inukai-san, or slightly after. After all, Sagae-san had 20min to commit murder, does it really matter if she spent few minutes talking to Inukai-san during that time interval?" Suzu replied calmly.

More Haru thought about, more this situation sounded odd, especially what the gamester had said.

"No…that's wrong!" Haru exclaimed. "Haruki-san didn't have a full 20min to commit murder! Haru doesn't know how long she talked with Isuke-san, but if it was minutes, then Haruki-san must have more likely 17 or 15min to commit murder instead of 20."

"It's still well enough to commit murder." Suzu argued.

"She's right, it doesn't prove that Sagae-san isn't the culprit!" Sumireko added.

"No, but…let's assume that she's indeed the culprit. If she murdered Mahiru-san between 7h10 and 7h20, so before she went to see Isuke-san, it means that she would have to go first to the bathroom to kill Mahiru-san, and then go to the dormitory, all of this in only ten minutes, maybe less if we subtract the time she spent talking to Isuke-san. And if she committed the murder after, so between 7h20 and 7h30. Again, if she talked with Isuke-san for few minutes, it's most likely less than 10min to commit murder. And let's not forget that the public bathroom and the gymnasium are far away from each other and you need to pass in front of the cafeteria to go from one to another, unless you take a detour, which would result to taking way more time! And the public bathroom were Mahiru-san's corpse was found isn't near either from the dormitory! The time doesn't add up, it makes no sense for Haruki-san to be the culprit!" Haru declared.

Everyone remained quiet for a moment. Sumireko looked both angry and confused, like she didn't know what to think anymore. Suzu looked kind of upset, but she quickly regained her composure, while Isuke sighed in relief, as well as Haruki.

"Well, I must admit that Sagae-san being the culprit seems improbable, but not impossible. After all, she did take a rope yesterday and brought it to the gymnasium today, you even saw the rope itself in the gymnasium's storage room. With everyone else having a stronger alibi than her and the fact that she was caring the murder weapon, isn't safe to assume that Sagae-san must be the culprit?" Suzu said.

Haru wondered if it was really the safest thing to do, to assume that Haruki was the culprit because of the current evidences. She thought about it over and over, until she realised that uncovering this truth wasn't up to her. Only one of them could explain what was the true reason of why there was a rope in the gymnasium's storage.

"Haruki-san…you need to be honest, otherwise you will still be suspected. Did you really take a rope last night?" Haru asked.

The redhead seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering.

"Yes, it's the truth. Shuto-san wasn't lying. I did take a rope in the regular storage room."

"And why have you done that? If you really claimed to not be Mahiru-san's murderer, then you must have another reason."

This time, Haruki didn't answer. But it was well enough for Haru to understand the truth.

"You had planned to commit murder, don't you?" Haru declared. "You need to tell us the truth!"

"I…yes, it's true. I intended…to kill."

"And if your target wasn't Mahiru-san, who did you intend to kill?" Haru insisted.

"…myself."

This revelation leaves everyone speechless. Haru wasn't expecting this, but somehow, it kind of reassured her to learn that Haruki didn't intend to commit murder. Suzu seemed sincerely surprised to hear that.

"Wait…you wanted to kill yourself?! Why!? It doesn't even make sense!" Isuke exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but…I really wanted my wish to come true, but I didn't want to kill someone to have it. It didn't seem far to me."

"You know that if you had committed suicide, you couldn't have your wish because…well, you would be dead." the gamester said.

"I already spoke with Monokuma about that. Even if I died, if I had managed to make sure you wouldn't have understand that it was a suicide and made you vote for the wrong person, then I would had my wish granted…which wasn't for me, but for my family's sake! The letter…it was from my younger sister. Our mom is sick, I needed money to save her life. This is why…I planned to kill myself…and win the game."

"Even if I can understand why you wanted to do this, you do realise that if you had succeeded, everyone would have died, right?" Shiena said.

"So you might not have wanted to kill someone, but it doesn't make you any less worst. You still intended to get us all killed." Suzu added.

Haru wondered if Haruki was really bad intentioned when she planned to commit suicide. She then remembered a conversation she had with the redhead in the cafeteria and understood that it wasn't the case.

"No, you're wrong! Haruki-san isn't that kind of person. She told me that she would never commit murder because there was a chance that it would be in vain. This is why she wanted to kill herself, because that way, if she had failed, at least no innocent person would have died. Isn't that right, Haruki-san?"

"Yes, you're right. I wanted to give you all a fair chance to all survive, by being the only causality if my plan had failed. I'm sorry everyone, for trying to make you all executed for my wish. But I don't regret it, because I did it to help my family. I hope you can forgive me."

Isuke looked particularly pissed.

"Isuke…" Haruki mumbled.

The pink haired girl sighed, before showing a smile that Haru wasn't sure if it was sincere or fake.

"Isuke can understand. Isuke would have done the same to save her family…well, not committing suicide, but you see the point. And it's Isuke-san for you! I'm glad that you didn't have the time to kill yourself, because otherwise I would have never forgiven you!"

Haruki looked reassured by Isuke's reaction.

"Ok…so if Sagae-san is not the culprit, then who is the one who dared to kill Banba-san?" Sumireko suddenly said with a gloomy expression.

Haru tried to recall everyone alibis. It seemed that everyone indeed had a solid alibi, but it was certain that one of them was fake, or wasn't what it seemed to be. To uncover which one was the fake one, Haru had to push the culprit to reveal herself on her own, by pushing her to her limit. This person must have said something during the class trial that incriminated her. But before that, thanks to what Haruki revealed to them, Haru understood that something was odd with Banba's murder.

"Wait a minute…isn't it strange that Mahiru-san died strangle to death while Haruki had intended to kill herself with the rope? It almost looks like…the culprit did it on purpose!" Haru said.

"You mean that…the culprit tried to frame me because she knew what I was planning to do?" Haruki asked.

"Yes, that's what Haru thinks. The culprit must have known about the rope and used this knowledge to frame you, by strangling to death Mahiru-san to make it looks like you were the culprit." Haru explained. "And there's only one person who could have done that…"

MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION!

"…and it's none other than you, Shuto-san!" Haru accused.

Everyone became quiet, looking dumbfound. The one accused simply sneered.

"Really Ichinose-san, you think that I'm the culprit? You know, I always thought that you weren't as dumb as anyone else here, but it seems that I was wrong. You're an imbecile too." Suzu said with disdain.

"Ok, other than Shuto-san acting like a total jerk right now, why do you think she is the culprit? It does not seem to make sense to me." Sumireko said.

"Yeah! There's no way Shuto would be the culprit!" Shiena agreed.

"But…Shuto-san, she was the only one who knew about the rope! She's the only one who could have possibly thought to use it to frame Haruki-san and killed Mahiru-san in a way that made her looks suspicious!"

"Not so fast! Yes I knew about the rope, so what? Someone else could have known to and just not talk about it…" Suzu tried to argue.

"You're wrong! If the culprit really wanted to frame Haruki-san because of the rope, there's no way she would have keep that to herself! The culprit would have used this information to frame Haruki-san, and the only one who used this clue was you!" Haru said.

"It doesn't prove anything. The fact that Banba-san died strangle might be just a coincidence." Suzu replied.

"Maybe, but it's a pretty big coincidence." Haru said back.

"…well, what you claim can't be true. I've an alibi after all. I was with Kenmochi-san during the morning, remember? Are you trying to claim that she lied? Because it doesn't make any sense for someone to by an accomplice."

Haru couldn't deny that it was true. There was no point for Shiena to lie to cover up someone else's murder. But still, when she recalled the alibi in question, something was wrong.

"It's true that you were together this morning, but it doesn't prove that you were together all the morning, especially between 7h10 and 7h30." Haru said.

"Yes we were! Isn't that right, Kenmochi-san?"

"Uh? Um, yes, I think so." Shiena replied nervously.

"You don't look convinced. Shiena-san, please, you need to tell us the truth!" Haru demanded.

"Well…I'm pretty sure it's the truth. She asked me to come join her around 7h10 near the sitting room. I look at the hour on the clock in my room this morning before leaving, so I'm pretty sure we met at 7h10." the hacker explained.

"See? My alibi is undeniable. So can we go back to finding the real culprit instead of accusing me over some coincidence?" Suzu said.

Despite that, Haru was still not convinced that the gamester wasn't the culprit. She was too on the defensive and quick to accuse Haruki, it didn't feel like her usual self at all. She then thought of a possibility that could disprove her alibi, but to prove it, she needed an information from the brunette.

"Shiena-san…did Shuto-san come in your room yesterday? Or earlier this morning?" Haru asked.

"Uh…yesterday no…but around 6h30 she came to see me. She just stayed for a moment, to ask me to join her near the sitting room at 7h10. That's it." Shiena replied.

"And when she came in your room, was there a moment when you left her alone?" Haru insisted.

"Well, yes, but just few minutes. Only the time to make myself a coffee."

"And after that, what did you do?"

"Uh…I drank my coffee and…realise that it was earlier than I thought. I thought it was 6h30 when she came in my room, but when she left, it was still 6h30. At first I thought that my clock was broken, but it wasn't the case. I guess that when I look for the first time at the clock without my glasses, I might have mistaken a 2 with a 3."

"That's what I thought. You saw right Shiena-san. Shuto-san went to your room to trick you to make herself a convincing alibi. When you were making yourself a coffee, Shuto-san did something to your clock. She removed 10 minutes on it! So you didn't go to see her at 7h10, but at 7h20!" Haru declared.

"Nonsense! You can't prove this." Suzu protested.

"Shiena-san, when you were with Shuto-san this morning, does it really feel like you spent 20min together?"

"Uh…not really. Time went quickly in fact."

"The perception of time can vary from a person to another, it's not a proof that we weren't together from 7h10 to 7h30!"

Haru was force to admit that it was true. If she wanted to prove that Suzu was the culprit, she needed a concrete proof. She then remembered that if Shiena left her room before 7h20, then maybe a certain person had seen her.

"Haruki-san, you went to see Isuke-san at 7h20, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Did you perhaps see Shiena-san leaving the dormitory?"

"Well, now that you bring that up…yes. I don't think she saw me though, but I definitely saw her leaving when I was about to go there."

"Liar! You're the culprit, so you just want to make me look suspicious to get away with your crime." Suzu protested.

"Haruki-san's innocent had already been proven! She has no reason to lie. This is the truth that you met with Shiena-san at 7h20, not 7h10, which means…you have no alibi between 7h10 and 7h20! You could have committed the murder!" Haru claimed.

"Wrong! Banba-san was murdered by a rope, she was strangled to death! But you didn't find any rope in the public bathroom, don't you? Just in the gymnasium's storage room, which was Sagae-san you out it there. So with what I supposedly killed Banba-san then? When did I take the time to hide another rope? You found no other rope during the investigation! It's impossible for me to have used the one in the gymnasium since Sagae-san had it all the time and Kenmochi-san would have seen me going inside to take it. So your theory is wrong, I'm not the culprit!" Suzu argued.

Haru must admit that she was right. There was no other rope found during the investigation. So how could she strangle Mahiru? The mark around her neck wasn't the same as if she had been strangled by hands, Tokaku had certified it. And since Isuke revealed that the blue haired girl was the SMSL Assassin, Tokaku must know the difference between rope's marks and hands' marks. Then, Haru understood her mistake.

"Tokaku-san, were the marks really caused by a rope?"

"Yes, or an object similar to a rope."

"That's what Haru thought. We were wrong to assume that the murder weapon was necessarily a rope. Anything with a similar shape could have been use to strangle Mahiru-san!"

"But you didn't find any similar object, don't you? Don't tell me that you think that I strangled her with toilet paper!" Suzu mocked.

Haru began to be nervous. It was true that she didn't find anything that could replace a rope, so she thought that it wasn't a good clue…until she remembered something that was said during the first class trial, by none other than Suzu herself. Haru looked carefully at the gamester and understood what might be the murder weapon.

"Shuto-san, do you remember? In the first class trial, you helped us to understand what the murder weapon was. You told us: Maybe the murder weapon was under our eyes since the beginning but you didn't notice, because you don't view it as a weapon." Haru began to say. "At that time, you were talking about Takechi-san's scissors. But I think you used the same trick at her, you hide the weapon on yourself in a way that we wouldn't think that it's a weapon."

"You think that I hid a weapon on myself? Very well, come to check, I'll gladly let you search every part of my body just to show you how wrong you are…" Suzu replied with a smug expression.

"It's your tie. Your tie is the weapon, Shuto-san." Haru declared.

Everyone became quiet for a moment, with disbelief on their face.

"You…you must be kidding me, right? My tie? Really? You really are desperate don't you…" Suzu said. "And I'm clearly not strong enough to strangle someone to death."

"No, she's right. A tie is enough long, rigid and malleable to be use as a rope. You can strangle someone to death with a tie." Tokaku confirmed. "And when a rope or any other similar object is used, strength doesn't really matter. And I'm pretty sure Banba-san, at least her daytime personality, was weaker than you."

"Well me tie is a fake one so it's impossible." Suzu argued.

"Then show it. Remove your tie and show that it's a fake one!" Haru asked.

Suzu hesitated for a moment. She grabbed her tie, like she was about to remove it, but she froze and showed a resigned expression.

"If you're so certain of your theory, why don't you try to explain everything from the beginning, Ichinose-san?" the gamester proposed.

"If it's what it takes to make you confess, Haru will!" she began to say.

"Everything began when Haruki-san went to take a rope in the regular storage room during the night. Her planned was to use it to commit suicide to have her wish granted. She would have succeeded if she wasn't seen by the culprit. The culprit understood that Haruki-san was probably going to use the rope to kill so she used it as an opportunity to frame her, by planning to strangle someone to death.

The next day, she went to Shiena-san's room at 6h30. When Shiena-san was busy making herself a coffee, the culprit removed 10 minutes from the clock. The culprit then asked her to meet her at 7h10 near the sitting room, knowing perfectly that Shiena-san would be there only at 7h20. The purpose of this was to mess with Shiena-san's perception of time and create a fake alibi during the time of death.

At 7h10, the culprit searched for an easy target to kill. She then spotted Mahiru-san going to the public bathroom alone and followed her there. The culprit then used her tie to strangle her to death and put it back around her neck. The culprit then go to the sitting room to meet up with Shiena-san at 7h20, but because of what she did to her clock, Shiena-san thought it was only 7h10.

And the culprit who elaborated this complex case is none other than you, Shuto Suzu-san, the Super Middle School Level Gamester!" Haru declared.

In response of this accusation, Suzu suddenly removed her tie, revealing that it was a real one.

"Well, I think it's time to vote, shall we?" Suzu suddenly said.

"I accuse Shuto-san with her tie in the public bathroom. Does anyone have one of those cards?" Nio asked, before Suzu looked at her coldly. "What, I thought that you from all people you like the reference!"

"Since you bastards seem all ready, let's vote!" Monokuma declared.

The voting part took place. Everyone voted unanimously for Suzu as the blackened.

"You bastards…are right! The culprit who murdered Banba Mahiru was Shuto Suzu!" Monokuma declared.

"Wait…you voted for yourself? Even though you're the culprit?!" Haruki exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not a sore loser, I know when it's time to accept defeat and humbly finished the game. This is an important quality for a gamester such as myself."

"You…you bitch! You killed Banba-san! Why? Why have you done such a thing, what did she do to you for you to murder her!?" Sumireko furiously shouted.

"Uh, I didn't expect the SMSL Lady to be so vulgar all the sudden. But don't get the wrong idea, I've nothing again Banba-san. Really, I was ready to kill anyone who alone between 7h10 and 7h20. Banba-san was just the unlucky one I killed. Anyway, when you decided to become the blackened, you're ready to cause the death of everyone, so it doesn't really matter who you choose to kill."

"But…Shuto! We were supposed to work together in order to find the traitor and stop this monstrous game, to save everyone!" Shiena suddenly said.

Suzu suddenly burst into an insane laugh that gave the shills to Haru. The gamester then became dead serious, with a gloomy expression.

"Save everyone? Why would I do such a thing? What a waste of time…should I remind you that someone already tried that and it's what got her killed? Why should I risk my life to save you, you bunch of ungrateful brats!? You can all die for all I care. All I wanted was to win the game and have my wish granted."

"You…it was all because of Kaminaga-san, you are mad at us because she died? But it was Takechi-san who murdered her!" Sumireko exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter who killed Kouko-chan, the point is she died because she trusted her classmates, a mistake that I didn't want to do. She was betrayed despite her good intention, and I'd no intention to follow her path."

"Wait, you killed for your wish? What about the third motive?" Haruki asked.

"The letter? Mine was empty. It had nothing to do with my decision. I only decided to commit murder because I thought that I had a great opportunity to do so, when I saw you with that rope…"

"You mean…it's my fault if Banba-san died!?" the redhead said with guilt.

"Well, not really, I already planned to kill anyway."

"And…what was your wish?" Haru asked.

"It doesn't matter. Let's say that being executed will technically grant me what I want, even if I would have preferred to die from old age." Suzu replied. "But still, I took great risk with my plan. It was more a gamble. I didn't know what Sagae-san intended to do with that rope, I really thought she would have committed murder. And if I didn't find anyone alone between 7h10 and 7h20 or if that person was way stronger than me, I would have failed. Well, not that it matter now. I lost, and I'm ready to face my consequence. Monokuma, I'm ready for my execution. At least I'll be free from your terrible game."

Haru felt bad to see what kind of person Suzu truly was. She always thought that the gamester was an ally, but it seemed that she had been wrong. Kouko's death really affected her in a negative way, making her distrustful of everyone and bitter.

"Well everyone, it's time for the execution. IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monokuma exclaimed.

A trapdoor opened just behind Suzu and the gamester fell into it. On the screen, Haru saw that she landed in a labyrinth. The inscription " _labyrinth of doom_ " appeared on the screen. Suzu execution considered of her trying to find the exit of the labyrinth, with water slowly taking the entire area. Since the labyrinth had no actual exit, the gamester eventually drowned to death in this despairfully doomed labyrinth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thing different that happened in the first case was that Kouko never leaves a note to Suzu asking her to protect everyone. Without this note, Suzu never see her death as a sacrifice for everone's sake but like a betrayal and became bitter and ready to kill for her own desire. This route would have been achievable if the player, as Haru, did certain actions that would have prevent Kouko to leave the note to Suzu (like trying to following her to the classroom, trying to keep her from leaving, stuff that would have make her loose time and not have enoguh time to leave the note). So basically, Haru is to blame for Banba's death in this route.
> 
> This alternate class trial was kinda more interesting to write than the two others, since both the culprit and victim of this case had nothing to do with the actual third class trial, unlike the other two who was either a swap of culprit/victim or a high possibility related to the current case (Hitsugi did try to kill Shiena in the second case), even if Haruki's attempted suicide play an important role in this alternate case. So it gives me the chance to do a totally different case.
> 
> Poor Shiena, in this route the first three culprits are all people she trusted.
> 
> Suzu's execution is slightly different. In fact, her being simply drowned to death in a labyrinth was the original execution Monokuma had planned to her. The reason why it was different in the original story was because Suzu angered Monokuma so he made her execution doubly more despairful by adding the traps, which was easy since her execution was recycle from Chiaki's one in DR3. It was a last minute change to make Suzu suffer more.
> 
> In the original route her execution was ironic because she was killed by water, something that Suzy really enjoy. In this route, it's ironic for another reason. Just like her victim, Suzu died from a lack of oxygen.
> 
> So, which Suzu you prefered? AnR Suzu? Original plot Suzu? The one from the route where Kouko killed Otoya? Or the one of this route?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked this alternate class trial, please let me know if you're still interested to see others or alternate endings, and I wish you all a happy year for 2018!


	56. Akuma no Ronpa the Alternate 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Here's the fourth alternate class trial! This one is a little bit different that the others, I hope you'll like it ;). You'll find out near the end this is the continuity of which alternate route I mentioned in the first alternate.
> 
> Btw my main computer isn't working, I'm currently using my laptop and the auto-corrector isn't working, so sorry if there's more mistakes than usual.

This case was by far the most complicated of all. This time, the victim was Suzu. Her body had been found in the public bath, in the water, with a nasty wound around her throat. The gamester's corpse was lying in the coffin, with a bandage around her neck.

At first glance, the fatal wound seemed to be the one on her throat. Well, it was maybe not the case. During the class trial they have discovered that Isuke drank tea with the victim and put sleeping pills in her cup of tea. Her intention was to make Suzu fall asleep in the public bath and died by drowning. But, they also found a bottle of pain killer in Suzu's locker, along with her clothes. According to the notice on the bottle, taking those pain killer mixed with narcotic could cause an overdose. Since Suzu may have taking both sleeping pills and pain killer, it might be possible that she died from an overdose too. And about the wound on her throat, they had establish that it was caused by a bomb that must had been fixed around her neck, due to the explosion they heard right before the body discovery, which meant that they are three possible causes of death and three potential culprits.

The first one was Isuke with the sleeping pills in the gamester's room, the second Suzu herself with the pain killer causing an overdose in the locker room,and the third option was death by explosion in the public bath.

The identity of the third potential culprit had been revealed: it was none other than Shiena. The brunette had admitted to have been tricked by Suzu into using an explosive. Shiena had activated the detonator thinking that she was making explode a wall.

"So the culprit is either Inukai-san, who purposefully tried to commit murder, Shuto-san who might have commited suicide, or Kenmochi-san who could have accidentally killed her." Sumireko said.

"Yes, and...all of this was orchestrated by Suzu-san." Haru added.

"Of course. There is only someone as twisted as her who could have possibly orchestrate such a case. How disgraceful, to manipulate someone to kill you against there will. I am not even surprise, I always knew she could not be trusted." the lady said with disdain. "All she wanted was to view the situation as a mere game and have fun. She did all of this just to kill us all and thus, win the game. This is how rotten she was."

Haru wondered if it was true. Did Suzu planned all of this just to cause them all to be executed? Haru was sure that the gamester wasn't that kind of person, but she had no proof of that, only her faith.

"Haru...doesn't think that Suzu-san had bad intention. She must had a reason to do this, she..."

"Ichinose, don't bother. Shuto manipulated me, she wasn't the person I thought she was. She's bad, she just wanted to win, no matter the cost...even if she had to pay her own life. I must be the culprit. I'm sure the sleeping pills or the overdose didn't have the time to take effect before I made the bomb explode. So please vote for me as the blackened."

"Even if you ask so, I cannot. I still believe that Shuto-san is the true culprit. I am truly sorry that is has to end like this. But we have to vote, for our own survival. You can only blame Shuto-san to have trick you." Sumireko said.

"If Sumireko vote for her, I'll do da same." Shinya added.

"Uh? I'm pretty sure that Isuke-san is the one who caused her death. Sleeping pills can take effect pretty fast." Nio said.

"You little bitch...! Kenmochi-san admit that she must be the culprit, so we should all vote for her, she asked for it herself!" Isuke protested.

"For once I agree with the trash. Inukai is most likely the culprit." Tokaku added.

Haru realised in what kind of situation she had been place. Isuke wanted to vote for Shiena, and the latter will most likely vote for herself. Sumireko and Banba wanted to vote for Suzu while Nio and Tokaku for Isuke. So each of the three potential culprits had two votes assured, which meant that...Haru vote will be the decisive one.

"Upupu...are you bastards ready to vote?" Monokuma said. "Silence uh...well, I'll take that as a yes. Unless there's someone who wants to protest..."

Haru didn't want to vote now. She was still not sure of who the culprit was, and she couldn't support to know that it was her vote that will decide who will received the majority of votes. There have to be a way...Maybe if she could understand Suzu's true purpose, Haru could put a end to this class trial. She tried to think quickly about what the gamester could have try to achieve by orchestrate such a complicate case.

[MINI-GAME START!]

[ _Failed the Mini-Game route_ ]

Haru couldn't find an answer for her questioning. Unfortunately, she'll have to vote for one of the three potential culprits.

"Well, since no one talk, let's begin the voting shall we?" Monokuma declared.

It was the time now, Haru had to choose. Whoever she picked, this person will be the one voted as blackened. She had to make a choice, even if both the three of them seem equally a plausible culprit.

[MAKE YOU ACCUSATION!]

[ _Vote for Shiena route_ ]

Haru had made her choice. She voted for Shiena as the blackened. The brunette herself asked them to vote for her, so Haru wanted to respect her request.

According to the graphic, 3 people voted for Shiena, 2 for Suzu and 2 for Isuke. Haru had been right. This is her vote that made the difference.

"You bastards...are right! The culprit who killed Shuto Suzu is indeed Kenmochi Shiena..."

"Not so fast!" the hacker suddenly interrupted.

Everyone turned to gaze at Shiena. The brunette adjusted her glasses and smirked.

"Monokuma...you're lying, don't you? You have no idea who the culprit truly is, so you desigate me as the blackened because I'd receive the most votes and to hide the fact that you don't know who killed Shuto. There was no camera in the public bath, so there's no way you could know the truth! This is the proof that you're lying and cheating! The game is rigged, now everyone know it, you can't continue! Admit your defeat, Monokuma!"

The bear-looking person looked shocked for a moment and unsure what to do. Haru was surprised. It looked like Shiena was somehow related to Suzu's plan. Suddenly, Monokuma grinned, but he somewhat looked more angry than happy.

"You...you want to play like that uh...very well. So you're telling me that you might not really be the culprit, that I could be wrong? Well, that would mean that the majority voted for the wrong person, isn't it? Well in that case, you know what happened if the wrong person is voted as the blackened, right, Kenmochi-san?" Monokuma taunted.

Shiena's face almost turned blue. A cold sweat rolled from her forehead and she looked panicked and unsure. Haru finally understood what it was all about, what was Suzu's true intention.

"She's right!" Haru suddenly exclaimed. "You...you have no idea who the culprit really is do you!? This is why you can't execute Shiena-chan, it isn't far. You're cheating!"

"Shut the fuck up! Kenmochi-san is only trying to save herself, you're going to get us all execute!" Isuke shouted angrily.

"I am not saying that Kenmochi-san said that only to save her own life, but still, I think it is better for our safety to just let it go." Sumireko added.

"But...!" Haru tried to protest.

"Ichinose, give up. Monokuma is right. I'm the culprit. You voted for the right person. There's no way he can be wrong. So please, don't insist. I don't want...everyone to be executed." Shiena said.

"Shiena-chan..."

"...it seems that me too, I wasn't able to fully understand Shuto. I wasn't able to properly execute her plan."

"Uh? You mean...you really planned all of this with Suzu-san...?"

"Ok that's enough talking, it's time for the execution. It's Punishement Time!" Monokuma exclamed.

The last expression Shiena showed before falling into a trapdoor was a look of regret mixed with fear.

Haru wondered if she had make the right choice by voting for her. If only she had undertood Suzu's true purpose before the voting, maybe this could have been avoid, or at least voted for Suzu so no one would have been executed. But it's not like she could go back in time to change her choice, it wasn't some kind of video game or fanfiction, it was reality.

Suddenly, Shiena's execution began on the screen, and they could read:  _The hacker's performance._

[GAME OVER]

* * *

[MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION!]

[ _Vote for Isuke route_ ]

Haru chose to vote for Isuke. She had decided to trust Tokaku's judgement, and Isuke was the one who purposefully tried to commit a murder. Twice.

On the graphic, it showed that 2 people voted for Shiena, 2 for Suzu and 3 for Isuke. Haru had the confirmation that it was her vote that made the difference.

"What the...!" the pink haired girl tried to say.

"You bastards...are right! Inukai Isuke is the culprit who killed Shuto Suzu!"

"BULLSHIT! You can't know if I'm the culprit! You're lying!" Isuke protested angrily but also panickly.

"Oh my, you really are pitiful Inukai-san. Objecting while even Monokuma-san confirmed that you are the culprit..." Sumireko said.

"No, she's right!" Shiena suddenly intervened. "Monokuma, there's no way for you to know if Inukai is truly the culprit. There's no camera in the public bath, you can't know for sure how Shuto died! Right now you're lying to cover up that you don't know the truth! You're cheating, the game is rigged. It's over now, you have lost!"

Monokuma looked showed and confused for few seconds, before grinning devilishly.

"Oh really? I'm lying? So then, you think Inukai-san isn't the culprit? Very well, in that case, it means that you voted for the wrong person. You all know what happen if the wrong person is voted as the blackened, right? Upupu..."

Shiena suddenly became silent. Isuke on the other hand didn't.

"Don't fuck with me! Isuke doesn't care about that! You don't know if I'm really the culprit, so you can't execute me!"

"Inukai-san, shut up! You are going to get us all killed!" Sumireko exclaimed.

"I don't care! If Isuke dies, then everyone will fall with me!"

"Oy, I don't want to die, otherwise it will kill Mahiru too." Shinya protested.

"Everyone, calm down..." Nio tried to say.

"Everyone shut up or I'll executed all of you!" Monokuma suddenly shouted.

"That...that wasn't what Shuto and I intended to happen." Shiena suddenly said.

Isuke suddenly turned towards the brunette and grabbed her by the collar.

"You...you planned this, don't you?! You and that midget...You tricked me so I would get executed!?" Isuke shouted.

"No...we just want...to stop the game." Shiena weakly said.

"Everyone please, don't fight! Shiena-chan is right, Monokuma can't know who the culprit is, he's lying about Isuke-san! This is why we should all protest against him, I'm sure that...it was what Suzu-san wanted...this way, the game should be over." Haru suddenly said.

Everyone suddenly became quiet, like they were thinking about what she said. Monokuma looked quite panicked and even furious.

"You bastards...you asked for it. The game is over, you voted for the wrong person, so you'll all be executed! IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

Suddenly, they got surrounded by multiple Monokuma teddy bears with sharp claws, ready to all chop them in pieces.

[BAD END]

* * *

[MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION!]

[ _Vote for Suzu route_ ]

Haru decided to vote for Suzu. Since she was the one who orchestrated all of this, she seemed like the obvious choice. And if she was right, then no one would be executed this time. It was what Haru wished that would happen.

A graphic appeared on the screen, showing that 2 people voted for Shiena, 3 voted for Suzu and 2 for Isuke. Haru's vote really made the difference.

"You bastards...are right! Shuto Suzu committed suicide!"

Before Haru could sighed in relief, someone suddenly protested.

"You're lying!" Shiena declared. "How can you know that Shuto really died from an overdose? There's no camera in the public bath! The only explanation is that you're lying to hide that you don't know. You're cheating, the game is rigged, and now everyone know it! There's no point in continuying the game if you're a cheater."

Monokuma looked worried and bothered by the accusation, before he suddenly showed an evil grin.

"Well, if I'm really lying, then it means that you might have voted for the wrong person. You perfectly know what happened if the wrong person is voted as the blackened, right? Is it really want you're looking for, Kenmochi-san?" Monokuma said with a mocking voice.

Shiena looked like she was about to protest, but she remained quiet. Haru noticed that her fists were clenched. The brunette looked frustrated, but also worrying.

Haru finally understood what this was all about. Suzu must have orchestrated all of this in order to force Monokuma to cheat is way to win. This way, the game would have no meaning anymore and should be over. But since they already had vote, it was too late to protest. At least, since they vote for someone who was already dead, no one would be executed this time. Wasn't it a good thing? It may not been what Suzu wanted, but at the same time, if was probably one of the best outcome. Right?

[ALTERNATE CHAPTER 4 END]

* * *

[MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION!]

Haru was unable to make a choice. This class trial didn't make any sense, something sounded fishy about this. The time limite to vote suddenly finished before Haru could vote.

[ _Don't vote route_ ]

The graphic showed that every suspects had received two votes.

"You bastards...you managed to do a tie! What am I gonna do...oh, but you're 7 survivors, it doesn't make sense...one of you didn't vote! Perfect! Well for this time, since there's a tie, I'll let the blackened get away with is crime, but without the wish. Instead, I'll execute the person who didn't vote."

"Hey, not so fast!" Shiena suddenly intervened. "What the hell with that last minute change?! You're only doing this to hide the fact that you don't know who the culprit is, don't you?!"

"Up, what do I hear? Is that the voice of someone who want to volunter to be the one executed perhaps?" Monokuma replied with a grin.

Shiena suddenly went quiet, showing a frightened expression. Haru began to shiver, knowing what was about to happen.

"Perfect. Now we can continue. Ichinose Haru, you didn't vote. This is against the rule. Therefore, you'll be executed for your disobeyance." Monokuma declared.

"What!? Ichi...Haru?! You didn't vote!?" Tokaku suddenly exclaimed with desperation in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Tokaku-san. Haru couldn't vote. I just...didn't know who the culprit was, and my vote...was the decisive one. I couldn't choose!"

"Well, your lack of voting created a tie so the true culprit won't be executed...Good job. It means I won't be exectued even if I was really the culprit." Isuke commented.

"Inukai shut up! You deserve to die more than Haru!" Tokaku shouted angrily.

"Ichinose...I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Shiena said tearfully.

"Don't worry, it isn't. Haru made a choice. This is my own fault."

Haru didn't want to die. But at least, her death would avoid someone else to be executed. Haru suddenly realised what was Suzu's intention. If only she had realised it sooner, maybe she could have avoid her execution, or anyone else's one. But it was too late now, she had made her choice.

"Haru...please don't die. Monokuma, don't kill her! Kill me instead! Give my vote to Haru!" Tokaku begged with tears falling from her eyes.

"Upupu, I can't do that! Otherwise,it wouldn't be despair-inducing enough. Well, it's time for the execution. It's Punishment Time!"

A trapdoor suddenly opened right under Haru. The latter fell and landed in a room that resemble a bee hive. Haru then noticed something written on the wall:  _The worker bees' revolt._

[BAD END]

* * *

[MINI-GAME START!]

[ _Succeed the Mini-Game route_ ]

Haru had understood the truth. She understood what was Suzu's purpose, and thanks to that, might be able to stop the class trial, no, stop the game itself!

"OBJECTION!" Haru sudden exclaimed.

Every gazed suddenly turned towards Haru.

"What was that, Ichinose-san? You have an objection?" Monokuma asked.

"Yes I have! You have no right to force us to vote! Because...you don't know who the culprit is!" Haru declared.

"What...what do you mean?" Monokuma asked nervously.

"You know perfectly what Haru means! I understood Suzu-san's true purpose. She...she didn't orchestrate all of this to kill us all, but to save us!"

"What? How...it does not make any sense!" Sumireko protested.

"Yes it does! Suzu-san...she did this to honor the promise she did to Kaminaga-san. Just before Kaminaga-san was executed, Suzu-san told her to not worry, that she understands and that she could leave the rest to her. Kaminaga-san killed Takechi-san to protect us, fully knowing that she would be executed. This is why Suzu-san chose to cause her own death, to honor Kaminaga-san's sacrifice by doing the same as her! Just like Kaminaga-san, Suzu-san sacrifice her life in order to save us all!"

"But...how the fact that she created a case where we cannot know the true culprit is supposed to save us?" the lady asked.

"Is doesn't matter if we don't find the culprit. Suzu-san's true purpose was that he couldn't know either who the culprit was!" Haru replied as she pointed Monokuma.

The headmaster looked even more nervous and started to even seem panicked.

"Suzu-san's goal was to make Monokuma unable to know the identity of the culprit. This way, he would most likely lie to get away with the fact he doesn't know the truth. But since he doesn't know who the culprit is, he can't force us to vote! This way, he would be force to end the game, because him not knowing would mean that he lost. This is why Suzu-san said there was other way to win the game than those Monokuma told us. This case was Suzu-san's way to win by defeating Monokuma and put an end to this game, to save us all! But Monokuma...he was still ready to make us vote, even if he doesn't know the truth. This is the proof he is ready to cheat! This is why we all need to boycott the vote, so he couldn't continue the game and admit is defeat!"

"But if we do that, we will all be executed..." Sumireko commented.

"This...this is a risk we need to take. Monokuma has a reason to make us participate in his game, the camera must be for some spectators. Haru's sure that the rules must be important to them and that wouldn't want to continue to watch a rigged game! This is why I believe that Monokuma won't execute us, because it would displease his audience!"

"This is a great risk you are asking us... I am not sure that I want to take it. My goal is to survive." Sumireko replied.

"I trust Ichinose. I'll not vote." Tokaku suddenly said.

"Me neither! I'm sure that this is Shuto's true purpose. This is why I won't participate in the voting." Shiena said.

"I'm with you on this! I'm tired of being a pawn, I won't get along with Monokuma's game anymore. I won't take part in the voting!" Nio commented with an usual serious expression.

Haru was glad to see so many people supporting her decision. But there was still three people left to convince.

"Isuke-san...you of all people should be willing to not vote." Haru said.

"Uh? Why should Isuke risks her life?"

"Because you are one of those who could have caused Suzu-san's death. If people vote for you, you might be executed even though Monokuma doesn't know the truth. Your best chance to survive is to not vote, that no one vote! The vote will be rigged, and you might be wrongly executed. Is that what you want?" Haru asked.

The pink haired girl hesitated for a moment, before letting out a resigned sigh.

"Fine...Isuke won't vote."

Haru then turned towards Sumireko.

"Hanabusa-san...Shinya-san, please. Don't vote either."

"Ichinose-san, I do respect your reasoning but...I am a survivor. There is no way that I would put my life at risk like that."

" And I ain't gonna risk Mahiru's life either!"

"So you really want this game to continue? Think about it. If we vote, then the game will continue. You can't predict what will happen next. One of you might be the next victim, or maybe we will fail next time to find the blackened and be all executed. So you also risk your life by continuing to participate to the game. What do you prefer, to risk your life now to rebel against an unfair game, or risking your life by continuing to be Monokuma's plaything?" Haru said.

"You...you're right. I can defend m'self during nighttime, but during the day...Mahiru can't protect herself if she's attack. Ok, I ain't gonna gonna vote."

"Shinya-san...!?" Sumireko reacted.

The lady seemed to be the last one to convince. Haru knew that it would be hard, but she couldn't give up, as respect for Suzu's sacrifice.

"Hanabusa-san, you're the only one who still wants to vote. If you vote, then...the game will continue and we will all be executed. Is that what you want?"

"Yes! I want to win the game and survive!"

"Even if it means you'll have to sacrifice Mahiru-san's life?"

The lady suddenly became silent. She then looked at Banba with pleading eyes.

"Shinya-san...please, for Mahiru-san's sake, vote!"

"Sorry Sumireko, but I can't. Mahiru's life could eventually be targeted, I'm already doin' this for her sake."

"But I can protect her during daytime! And if only us vote, then she won't be in danger..."

"Protecting Mahiru's my job, not yours. And I can't be sure you'll succeed."

"And if one of you vote, be sure that others will also vote. For this to work, we need to all not vote." Haru added.

"Come on Sumireko, this ain't you, to allow yourself to be the paything of such a creep! The real you won't let anyone toy with her like that!"

Sumireko seemed to hesitate for a moment, befors sighing.

"Fine...I renounce to my vote. It better works."

Haru was releaved. She managed to convince everyone to not vote. Maybe they'll finally be able to stop this insane and cruel game.

"YOU BASTARDS! YOU BETTER VOTE NOW OR ELSE I'LL EXECUTE YOU ALL!"

Some of them seemed to hesitate, but in the end, no one vote. Monokuma looked both furious and worried.

"You...you ask for it! I'll execute you all, you broke the rule..."

"You broke your own rule first! You wanted to make us vote for a murder you don't even know who the culprit is!" Haru retorted.

"There's no rule that forbid me to do that!"

"Yes there is! If we vote for the right people, then only the blackened will be executed. If we vote for the wrong person, then everyone will be executed except the blackened. If you don't even know who the blackened is, then you can't possibly respect that rule!" Haru argued.

This time, Monokuma looked pissed and infuriated.

"Fine. You want the game to be over? Then I'll kill you all, so the game will end..."

Suddenly, Monokuma got kicked out and disappeared from the screen. The remaining students looked at the screen with confused look. Then a woman suddenly showed up on the screen. She had stawberry blonde hair tied in two pigtails, blue eyes and looked like a fashionista.

"Well, well, what a disapointing ending. Probably one of the most boring one that I'd expected. I knew that letting this good for nothing being in charge would risk to ruin everything. Well, anyway, what is done is done. Congratulation, you had all win the game." the blonde haired girl said with a bored expression.

"Wh...Who are you?" Haru asked.

"Uh? Me? Doesn't matter. Let's say that I'm the audience you were talking about."

"This...this is Enoshima Junko!" Shiena suddenly exclaimed with a shocked expression.

"Who...?" Tokaku asked.

"Are you living under a rock or what? This is a famous top model." Isuke replied.

"And a student at Hope's Peak Academy, the SHSL Gyaru!" Shiena added.

"And it is that person who is behind all of this? We all got played out by a gyaru?" Sumireko commented.

"Well, I'm not entirely the one behind all of this. Maybe the outside world will refresh your memory." Junko said stoically.

"You...you did this! You forced us to kill each other, to play your cruel game! What's wrong with you? How can someone do such an horrible thing!?" Shiena shouted angrily.

"...Ok. It'll be quite ironic when you'll remember what truly happen." Junko replied with an enigmatic smile. "Anyway, you won, you are all free to go and leave this place. You all graduated. There's a secret elevator in the library, if you go down with it you'll find the secret door. Good luck with the outside world and don't forget to watch TV to see the reason why you were all put into this killing game. Sayonara!"

The screen suddenly turned off. Haru noticed that Nio looked particularly flustered and even pissed. It looked like she had some grudge against Junko.

The class trial ended. They all went to the library and found the elevator, and just like Junko said, they arrived in front of a big door.

"So this is it...it's over, right? Behind this door, there's the outside world..." Haru mumbled.

"If that girl wasn't lying, yes. Whatever things that await us outside, I'll protect you." Tokaku told her.

"I do have the feeling that there is indeed something unpleasant waiting for us outside. Shinya-san, would you stay with me?" Sumireko asked.

"If Mahiru's fine with it, sure. The more the merrier!" the silver haired girl replied.

"Isuke doesn't care about what's going on with the outside world. All I want is to go back to my family."

"You should...be ready for the worst. I've a feeling that it won't be pretty." Nio said with an uneasy expression.

"I also...have a bad feeling about all of this. Let's hope that I'm wrong." Shiena said.

The door suddenly began to open slowly and loudly. Haru began to shiver and felt Tokaku's hand grabbing hers. Whatever lied outside, Haru was ready to face it, because she wasn't alone. Thanks to Suzu, they managed to win this game with more than 2 survivors, and they were finally able to escape from this hellish school. Maybe they'll be finally allowed to have some hope for their future.

_Final number of survivors: 7_

_Final ships remaining: 2_

[GOOD END]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, since this alternate class trial was pretty much the same as the original one (minus Suzu being dead for real), I decided to write it as is was a visual novel game, with alternate routes and endings. This class trial would have introduced the first alternate end, but only if you succeed the mini-game that allows Haru to understand the truth behind Suzu's purpose. The mini-game would have been very hard ans with only one chance tho. The actual route that could lead the player to the official alternate ending of the game would be the route where you vote for Suzu.
> 
> So this is the route where Kouko had killed Otoya. The other class trials had been the same tho. So yeah, Suzu's character really depends of Kouko ^^'
> 
> The vote for Shiena route triggered a game over because there's no continuity for this route, but it's not a bad end. Only the vote for Isuke and the don't vote routes are bad end because Haru died. The good end isn't an official alternate ending.
> 
> In the original draft, the original class trial was supposed to be similar to the alternate one, but since Shiena was meant to be the first victime, Suzu would have orchestrate this with Kouko instead. She would have drink tea with Kouko, kouko would have put sleeping pills in it, then Suzu would have take pain killer and go swim in the pool, so it would have been nearly impossible to know what killed her first. But Monokuma would have force people to vote and Kouko would have been voted as the blackened and accept it to avoid everyone to be executed.
> 
> See you next time for the fifth class trial that will follow the vote for Suzu route, which means it will be a completely different class trial that the original firth one! Be ready for despair!


	57. Akuma no Ronpa The Alternate 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Once again, this is an alternate class trial, this time of the fifth one. This is a continuity of the fourth alternate class trial, the route where Suzu is voted as the blackened (the same route where Kouko killed Otoya). Enjoy!
> 
> First I've an announcement! I'd begin a prequel, Refutation Story of Devil, about the event before Akuma no Ronpa. If you're still into that crossover, be sure to go check it!

"Attention everyone! This is the Body Discovery Announcement. A body has been discovered in the auditorium. You're invited to go there for more information." Monokuma voice said.

As soon as she heard the announcement, Haru had rushed towards the auditorium, followed by Tokaku. When they arrived, they discovered Sumireko, Banba and Nio, standing near something. They must be the three who triggered the announcement. Haru noticed that the projectors were turned on, which seemed to bother the silver haired girl.

Haru noticed that they were two people missing, Isuke and Shiena, which meant that...one of them was the victim.

Worried, Haru approached them, no wanting to know who died, but knowing that she had no choice.

"Who died!?" a voice suddenly said behind her.

Haru recognised the voice. She turned back, which confirmed her doubt.

"Shiena-chan...which means that the victim is..."

Haru turned back once again and discovered the corpse of Isuke. The pink haired girl was lying on the stage, her neck twisted in an unatural angle and there was some blood splattered on the floor.

"Upupu, what an unexpected victim! You bastards will investigate the murder of Inukai Isuke. Good luck with the investigation, and see you later for the class trial!"

* * *

The class trial had begun since a while now. During the investigation, they had establish that the cause of death was that Isuke had her neck snapped. The kick-boxer also had some minor injuries on one side of her body, there were multiple bruises and scratches on her left shoulder and arm, as well as a lump on the left side of her head. For the moment, they had concluded that the culprit must have beaten her before breaking her neck.

The clues they found during the investigation were a weird looking iron bar with a screw in it and a broken projector near Isuke's corpse. Those two objects were suspected to be the murder weapon, even though neither of them had blood on them. Other than that, they didn't seem to have any clues.

About the alibis, Haru was with Tokaku all the time, Shiena was locked in the sitting room, and the others...had no alibis confirmed.

"So the culprit is either Hanabusa, Banba and the trash." Tokaku said.

"Well, it is not like we can prove that Kenmochi-san was really in the sitting room when the murder occured." Sumireko argued.

"Yes, I was in the sitting room all this time!" Shiena protested.

"We should establish first when the murder occured exactly before arguing about that." Haru proposed. "Let's begin by recapitulate what happened before the body discovery."

"Very well. So, those who discovered the corpse first was myself, Hashiri-san and Shinya-san. In my case, a heard a heavy noise coming from the auditorium and rushed towards it. I met Hashiri-san on my way and when we arrived, Shinya-san was already in front of the room." the lady explained.

"I confirm, I also heard a strong noise and went to the auditorium to check what it was, and met Hanabusa-san on my way there." Nio replied.

"And you Banba? That sounds awfully suspicious that you were the first one there..." Shiena commented.

"Uh? Watcha tryin' to do, suspect me? I ain't the culprit!" Shinya protested. "I ain't know how I got there. Nighttime barely began, Mahiru was probably wanderin' near there. When I woke up, I was already in front of da auditorium and saw Sumireko and Hashiri come."

"Wait, so the murder must have occured just a little before nighttime!" Haru understood. "Hanabusa-san, Nio, how much time it took you to reach the auditorium?"

"Barely few minutes." Hanabusa replied.

"Same for me." Nio added.

"I see. So we can conclude that the murder occured before 11pm, and probably after 22:55." Haru said.

"Not so fast! Your reasoning only work if Banba did say the truth, which we can't know for sure. She might be lying." Shiena protested.

"No, she is telling the truth. I left my room near 22:50 because I ran out of tea and wanted to get some. I was on my way to the sitting room because I knew there is some good tea there, but on my way, I heard that heavy noise coming from the auditorium. Hum, now that we talk about it, I also heard a smaller noise few seconds before, also coming from the auditorium. Anyway, like I was saying, I do not like to walk fast, so it is probable that it was indeed 22:55 when I heard that noise, I was halfway to the sitting room. So it is probably true that it was 11pm when I arrived at the auditorium."

"So the murder really occured during daytime, when it's Mahiru-san who's there. Judging by Isuke-san's injuries, the culprit killed her brutally. We already established during the third class trial that Mahiru-san isn't strong enough to commit a murder that require physical strenght. So it's pretty unlikely that she killed Isuke-san." Haru added.

"And since both Hashiri and I heard that noise and met on our way to the auditorium, it is pretty unlikely that we were in the auditorium when the noise occured. Which means it leaves only on suspect...Kenmochi-san." the lady said.

"W-Wait...I'm not the culprit! I swear, I was in the sitting room all the evening!"

Haru tried to think about that. It was true that except Shiena, everyone else seemed to have an alibi. But she couldn't believe that the brunette was truly the culprit. There must have a way to prove her innocence.

"Shiena-chan did go to the sitting room, Haru saw her there after diner time. The auditorium is in the same area then the sitting room. Which means, if Shiena-chan is the culprit, she must have left the sitting room around the time of death. Since Hanabusa-san and Nio were in that area during that time, they should have seen Shiena-chan."

"Not necessarly. Kenmochi-san might have left the sitting room since a while before we arrived, and left the auditorium before we arrived..." Sumireko tried to protest.

"Wait!" Nio suddenly intervened. "When I heard the noise, I was near the sitting room, and the door was closed. But I could see some light coming from under the door, so I guess there was someone inside. I don't see why someone would have left the light turned on and the door close if they left the room. Oh, and I did hear some noises from the sitting room, it sounded like a microwave..."

"Ah, I was making myself some instant noodle. It's the proof that I was in the sitting room when the murder occured!"

"Uh, unless it was all some kind of elaborate trick...no, it is unlikely that you could have predicted that Hashiri would be there at that time. Very well, I will accept your alibi, for the moment." Sumireko said.

Haru was puzzled. It looked like everyone had an alibi. She needed to find another way to uncover the culprit's identity.

"We must have made a mistake somewhere. We can't all have an alibi, one of us must be the culprit. So in order to find the truth, we should try to understand more how Isuke-san died, and what the murder weapon is." Haru proposed.

"I guess that since we are stuck, we should do that. So Inukai-san had her neck broken and had several minor injures. It looked like she had been killed by bare hands." Sumireko said.

"Then what about the iron bar and the broken projector?" Tokaku reacted.

"Well, they were not bloody, so I do not think they could be the murder weapon. But it is true that their presence near the corpse is suspicious." the lady replied.

"Yup, she could have been beatin' to death with the iron bar, and then da culprit wash the blood!" Shinya proposed.

"Possible, to erase the evidence. Then what about the projector?" Sumireko asked.

"Hum, it could have fell. I spent some time checking the auditorium once, and those projectors didn't seem well fixed to the roof. They probably haven't been maintained since a while." Shiena explained.

"So...maybe the projector fell on Inukai by accident and killed her?" Tokaku proposed.

"Very unlikely. There is no blood on the projector. But it might be the noise both me and Hashiri-san heard."

"So the noise was the projector uh...so it might had nothing to do with the murder. Inukai might have been dead way before if fell." Shiena added.

If it was truly the case, then a lot of alibi were now invalide.

"The time of death need to be re-restablish." Haru said. "When was the last time you saw Isuke-san alive? Tokaku and I saw her a diner time in the cafeteria."

It seemed that everyone else also saw her for the last time during diner time.

"Wait...Mahiru...saw her...later. I don't remember clearly, but...yeah, Mahiru was going to the public bath and saw Inukai there. It was...slightly before nighttime I think. Sometimes our shared memory kind be messed up so I don't remember the details."

"I see, so Inukai-san was still alive near nighttime. I guess that Banba-san went there to enjoy the bath and let Shinya-san enjoy it too after, so was indeed probably a little bit before nighttime." Sumireko concluded.

"Ah, I can confirm that. I did see Banba-san going to the public bath around 22:40." Nio suddenly revealed.

"20:40!? So...the murder must reall have occured just before nighttime, like we already established. Then the projector..." the lady began to say.

"Maybe the culprit made it fall by accident when she killed Inukai." Shiena proposed. "But for that, she should have been on the catwalk above the stage..."

"That's it!" Haru suddenly exclaimed. "The cuplrit, she...she killed Isuke-san from the catwalk, by making the projector fell on her..."

"I stop you right there Ichinose-san. There was no blood on the projector, we already talk about that. It is impossible that the projector was the murder weapon." Sumireko interrupted.

Hatu went quiet for a moment. So she was wrong...but perhaps not so far from the truth. If she continued to explore the projector mystery, maybe she'll discover the truth. And she knew who could help her with that.

"Shiena-chan, did you personally go to the catwalk?"

"Yes, when I was checking the auditorium. I didn't stay there long thought."

"Why's that?" Haru asked.

"Well, let's say that it didn't seem really...solid? I was afraid that I might fall so I get out of there pretty fast."

"I see. Then, perhaps...if the projector isn't the murder weapon, then maybe...Isuke-san fell from the catwalk and died from her fall?" Haru theorised.

Everyone remained quiet for a moment after hearing Haru's theory.

"What the...you know, it actually makes sense. Her injured might be the result of a fall. But still, what Inukai-san was doing on the catwalk and how the culprit made her fell?" Sumireko wondered.

"I don't see how the culprit would have bring her there in order to kill her. Inukai seemed like the type who's hard to kill." Shiena commented.

"That is what I think to. I am not entirely convinced that she really died from a fall." the lady replied.

Haru was convinced that she was right, that Isuke must have died from a fall. But she needed evidence to prove her theory. She tried to remember any clue that could prove it, and found one.

"The iron bar!"

"Yes? What about that?" Sumireko asked.

"It's...not a regular iron bar. It looks like some kind of bar from a fence, or rather, a catwalk..."

"What are you trying to prove exactly?" the lady insisted.

"That this iron bar is a part of the catwalk. The screw in it proves that it was fixed to something. So perhaps Isuke-san fell before this iron bar broke." Haru proposed. "That would also explain the other noise you heard before."

"It still doesn't explain why she was there. But, I admit that if both the iron bar and the projector were above, then there must have someone who made them fell." Sumireko replied.

"Wait, so...Inukai's death could be an accident!? Like, she went there for some reason, lead herself on that iron bar, and it broke, which made her fell..." Shiena said.

Could it be possible? That the death for this case was in fact an accident and that they was no actual cuplrit? Even thought Haru would want that, she knew that it couldn't be the case, because of something Monokuma said.

"No, that's wrong...it was a murder. Monokuma, you said that we had to investigate Isuke-san's murder. So it's safe to assume that it's really a murder and not an accident, right?" Haru asked.

"Uh? Oh, about that...yes. It was a murder." Monokuma confirmed.

"So...someone must have pushed her!" Shiena declared.

"Hum, 'murder' can have a lot of signification. For example, a suicide can be viewed as a murder, if you view it as murdering yourself." Sumireko said.

"No, it wasn't a suicide. Inukai wasn't that type of person. I don't see any reason for her to have killed herself." Tokaku said. "And I'm pretty sure murder means murder, the act of killing someone else on purpose."

"Then how the culprit lure her on the catwalk to push her?" Sumireko asked.

"I...I don't know." the blue haired girl admitted.

"Then...maybe Isuke-san went there from her own free will, and someone used it to kill her." Haru proposed.

"Maybe, but this theory needs proof." Sumireko replied.

This time, Haru had no other clue to offer. But she had the feeling that Isuke might have go on the catwalk because she wanted to, but to prove it, she needed to find out why.

"Ok, maybe we should search more clues about the culprit and why they killed. Like, the motive this time, it was a lot of money, which means the culprit killed for the money." Haru said.

"Money? Well, it's a powerful motive, everyone could be tempt by that." Shiiena said. "Well, I guess that someone like Hanabusa would be motivated by that."

"Indeed, I could not care less about the money. What Monokuma proposed was barely 1% of what I have."

"That's what I thought...then, who is the most likely to kill for money here?" Nio asked.

There was only one person Haru could think of, someone who always brag about how much she loved money and would do anything to have more. But it didn't make any sense.

"It's...it was...Isuke-san." Haru replied.

"Indeed. And unlike Sagae, she's too selfish to die for money. She wanted money for herself." Tokaku agreed.

"But...she's the victim." Shiena said.

"Well, it would not be the first time that a victim was planning to commit murder." Sumireko said.

"Wait, you mean...you think Isuke-san was trying to kill someone?" Haru reacted.

"Was it not what you were trying to prove, Ichinose-san? Well, to me it looks obvious that Inukai-san looked forward to kill, but somehow, her plan backfire."

"So...maybe Isuke-san tried to lure someone to make the projector fall on them, but she ended up falling by accident..." Haru tried to propose.

"No. Inukai was strong, I doubt that she could have died by accident." Tokaku intervened.

Haru blenched. Even Tokaku was doubting her theory. But Haru was convinced that she was entirely wrong, that something was true from this theory, and someone could maybe confirm it.

"Shiena-chan, did someone else know...about the catwalk being not solid?"

"Well, there was someone else in the auditorium at that time, so I told her to avoid the catwalk, yes."

"And who was this person?" Haru asked.

"And why did you hide this fact?" Sumireko asked.

"Uh...it's just that...this person is no longer alive, so I thought it wasn't important. It was Inukai."

Haru just had heard a valuable information that help her understood what could have happened.

"I get it! Isuke-san, she...she was really planning a murder. She wanted to use what she learned from Shiena-chan to kill someone. Her plan must have been to lure someone on the catwalk and make her fall become of the fragile stucture. Or to simply push her. But somehow, the person she lured fight back and pushed her. Isuke-san must have fell on the iron bar, which broke at the impact, and fell. Maybe she tried to grab the prejector, but it broke too, and the nosie you heard was both Isuke-san and the projector crashing on the scene." Haru declared.

"Hum, it might be it. Then, who did she lure? This person is the culprit." Sumireko said.

[MAKE YOUR ACCUSATION!]

Haru tried to think about who this person could be. Everyone seemed to have an alibi, until she realised that...it wasn't true. Now that they knew how Isuke truly died, one person's alibi didn't work anymore.

"Shinya-san...how did Mahiru-san arrived first at the auditorium?"

"Uh? Dafuq? Why are ya askin' that?" the silver haired girl replied.

"Ichinose-san...? What...what are you trying to prove...?" Sumireko mumbled with a blank expression.

It pained Haru to have to do this. She remembered the despair Sumireko felt when Banba was accused of having killed Haruki. But she had to do this, for everyone's sake.

"Nio said Mahiru-san was at the public bath near 22:40. But she arrived near the auditorium around 11pm. Which means...she probably never go into the bath. Haru doesn't think she had the time to take a bath, dry her hair, and go back to her sailor uniform and then go there in 20min, especially if she intented to let you take a bath too. And even if she had left, she would have been in her pajama. It's safe to assume that she never go in the bath. Why? You also said she saw Isuke-san there, right? Then maybe...Isuke-san tricked her into following her to the auditorium, and then..."

"Shaddup! That's bullshit! Yar a dumbass to think that! Mahiru would never have killed someone, killin' is the reason of my existence, idiot!"

"Wait, what?" Shiena reacted.

"I'd the feeling you were one too, a murderer. Just like Takechi. You're a serial killer, don't you?" Tokaku asked.

"Uh? Maybe. I only killed when Mahiru asks me too, because she's too weak to kill herself. This is why she can't have killed Inukai."

"Wait...it's your other personality...that asks you to kill?" the brunette said.

"I knew it! We should always doubt the quiet one." Nio exclaimed.

"Shinya-san, you said yourself that your memory wasn't clear. You can't know for sure that I'm wrong." Haru said.

"I said shaddup! Mahiru must have been scared of Inukai and ran from the public bath, that's it!"

"And ran until she reached the auditorium? Why? Would it have been more logical to go to her room instead?" Haru insisted.

"Well...I...I..." Shinya began to mumble.

"Ichinose-san, that is enough! Banba-san is not the culprit, we already establish that she does not have the strenght to..."

"To kill with her strenght alone, yes. But pushing someone from an already unsable catwalk, it doesn't require much strengh. Even someone like her could have pushed Inukai!" Tokaku suddenly argued.

"NO! It cannot be that! Banba-san is not the culprit! Inukai-san, she...she must have fall by accident!" Sumireko retorted desperately.

"Mahiru...Mahiru wouldn't have done this...she trust me...I'm the one who should protect her, who should kill for her...it's impossible..." Shinya mumbled with a livid expression.

The others also seemed incredulous. Even Haru didn't want it to be true, she wanted to have the same faith she had in Mahiru during the third class trial. But she couldn't, not this time. She trust Tokaku's judgement, about Isuke's death not being an accident. In that case, there was a culprit, and only Banba could be.

"The prejectors...they were turned on. Haru doesn't think that Mahiru-san would kill, but if she's attack in daytime, then maybe...especially if she has light pointed at her face. Haru saw Mahiru-san reacted to light once, she's scared of it. Even Shinya-san doesn't like it. Maybe...yes...this is what Isuke-san intented to do."

Haru had found out what she believed to be the truth. Even if her classmates didn't believe her now, she was ready to expose what she was convinced that happened.

"It all begins when Isuke-san learned about the unstable catwalk in the auditorium. Since she was after the money Monokuma promised, she used this information to elaborate a murder. It's possible that she was at the public bath because she knew that a certain person, the culprit, would be there, and that she could lure her to the catwalk. When the culprit showed up around 22:40 at the public bath, Isuke somehow tricked her into following her to the auditorium. The culprit, probably afraid to make Isuke-san mad, obeyed.

Isuke-san lured the culprit on the catwalk. Her plan was to use the projectors' light to trigger the culprit's fear, and make her lost her balace and fell to her death, probably to make it looks like an accident or a suicide. But for some reason, it didn't work. I suppose the culprit must have been paralyse by fear, thus not moving. Isuke must have tried to push herself the culprit, but when she tried, the culprit snapped and, in self-defense, pushed Isuke-san. Then Isuke-san hit the iron bar, broke it, and fell. She must have tried to grab a projector to not fall, but broke it by accident, and both fell, killing her. Then the culprit must have ran away and swich personality as soon as she left the auditorium, because it was now nighttime, and forgot about this incident.

And the culprit who killed Isuke-san is none other an Banba Mahiru, the Super High School Level Seamstress!"

Everyone remained quiet for a moment. Sumireko looked like she was about to snap, and no emotion was visible on Shinya's face.

"I guess...that it must be the truth." Shiena said.

"Well then you bastards, are you ready to vote?" Monokuma asked. "I'll take that silence for a yes. Everyone, you know what you need to do."

And they proceeded to the voting. Except for one person who voted for Isuke, everyone voted for Banba as the blackened.

"You bastards...are right! The culprit who murdered Inukai Isuke is Banba Mahiru!"

"That...that cannot be the truth...Banba-san...Mahiru-san cannot be the culprit!" Sumireko shouted with tears in her eyes. "She...it was self-defense!"

"Self-defense or not, she killed. Therefore, she's guilty." Monokuma replied mercilessly. "Which means that...she'll be executed."

"What?! No! Mahiru-san might have killed Inukai-san, but...but Shinya-san is innocent! You cannnot executed her!" Sumireko protested.

"But...Shinya-san, Mahiru-san, they are both Banba-san, right? They are the same person." Monokuma said.

"No! They...they are both there own person. Both of them are unique and special. You cannot kill one of them and let the other die to, it is unfair, you are killing an innocent! It is like saying Shinya-san's existence does not matter!"

"Well...she doesn't. She's just a split personality born from a psychotic mind, it's not like she's a real person..." Monokuma continued.

"Shut up! Shinya-san's life matter, she is a person, you have no right to kill her for a crime she did not commit!"

"Then shall we wait until daytime to execute her as Mahiru-san instead?"

"NO!"

Everyone became silent when Shinya suddenly screamed.

"I...I don't want Mahiru to suffer. It's my fault, I failed my role as her protector, this is why she dirtied her hand. This is why I should be the one to be punished, not her. If we're going to die, then I want to at least spared her the pain. This the the only thing I can do for her..."

"No, Shinya-san...don't. You do not deserve this, this is unfair, I don't want any of you to die!"

"I'm sorry, Sumireko. I've made my mind. I'm sorry for Mahiru's behaviour, I'm sorry to have failed, I'm sorry to sadden you. I know...how much your cared about Mahiru. This is why...I like you. Thanks for the relic you gave her, but now, I'll return it to you as an holy relic. I'm hearing Mahiru in my head, she also appologize, and is happy to be able to leave you her relic. At least, we'll die...together." Shinya said with a soft smile.

Even more tears fell from Sumireko's eyes. Haru felt her eyes burning. She had never felt so bad to be right, she regretted to have found the truth, but at the same time, if she didn't, then everyone else would have been executed.

"No...no...I...I love both of you! Shinya-san, Mahiru-san, I love you!"

"Thanks, we...we like you too."

"Ok, enough with the tearful love confession, it's time for the execution, since Shinya-san insisted and that I don't feel like waiting until daytime. Anyway, I've the feeling that Mahiru-san will awake sooner. It's PUNISHMENT TIME!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sumireko shouted desperately.

But she had the time to do nothing that a trapped door opened under Shinya, and the silver haired girl disappeared from their sight, while an inscription appeared on the screen:  _Flashes of Darkness._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda teared up while writing this ^^' (Poor Sumireko)
> 
> This class trial was in fact the original fifth class trial I'd in mind, when I still had the intention of killing Shiena first and making Kouko the culprit of the fourth case. But with the last changes minute about Kouko being the first victim and Suzu faking her death, I'd to scrap that class trial. I decided to use it for the alternate because it fits one of the alternate route and I really felt like it was a good idea. I hope you liked it!
> 
> See you next time for the last alternate class trial, and don't forget to check Refutation Story of Devil!


	58. Akuma no Ronpa The Alternate 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Holy s*th, that's truly the longest chapter of this fic! This is the last alternate class trial, this time for the 6th one. It's a continuity of the fifth class trial. Enjoy!
> 
> Warning: spoiler for the sequel Dangan Riddle.

The sixth class trial had began since a while now. The victim of this case was Hashiri Nio, the SMSL "Trash". Her corpse had been found decapitated in the cafeteria. The motive this time had been a treasure hunt to find clues about the outside world and why they were trapped inside the school. The remaining survivors, which were Haru, Tokaku, Shiena and Sumireko, had took the time at the beginning of the class trial to discuss about what they found during the treasure hunt, because it could be important for both themselves and to discover the culprit's motive.

"Haru have found Mahiru-san's student profile!" Haru said as she showed the teared page.

"I have found Ichinose-san and my own student profile." Sumireko said, briefly showing the pages, before quickly shoving them back in her pocket.

"I've found Hashiri's one...and it contradicts something she told us." Shiena began to say. "Just...take a look at it!"

The brunette showed the page to everyone so they could see clearly what it was about. At first glance, nothing seemed unusual, until Haru read about Nio's SMSL title.

"Super Middle School Level...Illusionist!?" Haru exclaimed, confused.

"Oh my, it seems that Hashiri-san either lied to us, or honestly did not know she had a SMSL talent. Well, in either way, it will be hard to prove it, since she is...dead." Sumireko said.

"This is suspicious, and maybe related to her death." Tokaku said. "Maybe it's related to the binder full of newspaper's clippings I found. Let's see...those clippings are about some incidents that would have happen at Myojo Academy, like disappearance of students, and some more disturbing events like violent battles, aggression, and even murders."

"How is this possible…so many horrible things happened at Myojo…?" Haru mumbled.

Tokaku handed the binder to Haru, who continued the reading, which revealed to them some important events. Twelves students from Class Black had been kidnapped, that the chairwoman Yuri Meichi was the one who had barricaded the school to use it as a shelter for the surviving students, that their teacher Mizorogi Ataru was the prime suspect and about the riots at Hope's Peak Academy.

"What...twelves students?" Tokaku asked. "Aren't we thirteen? And the kidnapping...is it the reason why we are trapped here?"

"We never attended class here, so how could we all have been kidnapped? Especially by a teacher we never met..." Shiena said.

"The weirdest part is that Nio isn't in the list of the student who disappeared. But she's clearly part of Class Black, we know now that she had a SMSL title." Haru said.

"Then maybe Hashiri...is really the traitor." Shiena added.

"Then the culprit might have killed her because they knew this information and thought that would end the killing game, which is did not. Since Azuma-san is the one who find the binder and Kenmochi-san was already suspecting Hashiri-san, both of you are the most suspicious ones." Sumireko declared. "Though personally, I doubt that she was the traitor, since I do not think that Yuri-sensei is related to our predicament. But the culprit could easily have misinterpreted those information."

"W-What!? I...I'm not the culprit! I didn't kill her!" the brunette protested.

"Please, it's not the time to fight! We need to focus on Nio's murder rather then the things we found during the treasure hunt. We could discuss those things later, the priority is to find the culprit." Haru said.

Haru somehow managed to convince everyone to stay focus on the murder. The group talked about the cause of death. Nio's head had been found near the rest of her body. The injuries on her neck seemed to point out that her head had been ripped off rather then chopped. No murder weapon able to do that, or any murder weapon, had been found. All they found that was related to a murder was Nio's very corpse in two pieces, lying in a pool of blood. The only weird thing Haru had found during the cafeteria's investigation was some stuffing, like those you put in plushies. Haru couldn't see how this could be related to the murder.

As for the alibis, Haru and Tokaku had been together during all the treasure hunt, since Nio had been seen alive when the treasure hunt began, they established that the murder occurred during this event. Nio, Shiena and Sumireko had looked for clues on their own. The brunette claimed that the last time she had seen Nio was couple of minutes before the body discovery, the latter had been triggered by Haru and Tokaku (due to the small number of participants, Monokuma had changed the rule so it only require 2 people now to trigger the announcement). She had since the blonde girl going inside the art club. Sumireko had said that she never seen Nio during the treasure hunt.

"So Kenmochi and Hanabusa had no alibi, and there is now way it could be a suicide." Tokaku said.

"Like I said, Kenmochi-san thought Hashiri-san was the traitor, she had a motive to have kill her." Sumireko claimed.

"It wasn't me! I swear! I never even went to the cafeteria during all the treasure hunt!" Shiena argued.

"How disgraceful, lying like this...there is only you who could have done this. The murder occurred during nighttime, but the cafeteria is supposed to be locked at that time. But with your hacker's skills, you could have hacked the system and opened the door sooner and killed Hashiri-san in the cafeteria to confuse us about the time of death!" Sumireko accused.

Haru suddenly realized that something seemed odd with what the lady had just said.

"Wait, Hanabusa-san. How can you be so sure that the murder occurred during nighttime? After all, the body discovery was at 7h20, so in daytime. How can you be so sure the murder wasn't between 7h00 and 7h20?" Haru asked.

Sumireko remained quiet for few seconds, with a stoic expression, before she suddenly looked offended.

"What? Ichinose-san, you...you are accusing me!?" the lady exclaimed with hostility.

"You are confirming a detail we never established, it's fair to accuse you after that." Tokaku added. "How could you possibly know the murder happened during nighttime?"

"Because...I saw the cafeteria being open...during nighttime." Sumireko replied.

Haru tried to think about it. According to Sumireko, the cafeteria was open during nighttime, and the murder had occurred before daytime. But it seemed to contradict Shiena's testimony. One of them was lying about something.

"I'm sorry, Hanabusa-san, but you seems more suspicious then Shiena-chan. Firstly, you claimed with so much certitude that the murder occurred during nighttime, and now you're saying you saw the cafeteria opened at nighttime, a detail you never told us before. And if the cafeteria was really opened before 7h, you would have check inside, and see the corpse first. But it's Tokaku and I who found it."

"The murder had not occurred yet!" Sumireko argued.

"But if the cafeteria was opened, it must be because the murder was about to happen, right? Then, since you were in the area, you should have at least saw Nio and the culprit going there, but you said nothing about it." Haru replied.

"All of this just sounded like a last minute made-up lie to cover your crime." Tokaku added.

The lady stayed quiet for a moment, before a grin full of malice and an insane look appeared on her face. Haru was shocked to see her with such a wicked expression that didn't suit her usual gracious expression.

"Ah, I've been found out. You are right, I'm the one who killed Hashiri-san." Sumireko admitted as her expression became cold and emotionless.

"What...you're confessing now? Well then, shall we...vote?" Shiena asked.

"Wait! I...why? How?" Haru mumbled.

"This time, I will spare you the bother to explain everything and do it myself." Sumireko began to say. "Everything began during the treasure hunt. I had found...something that belongs to me, and Hashiri-san saw it too. I realized that it was not in my best interest to let her know about this, and that it was probably my best chance to commit murder. I was already looking for killing someone anyway. So I chase her down, until we reached the closed cafeteria. And then...Hashiri-san pull out some kind of devise and the cafeteria's door suddenly unlocked. I managed to go inside too, and killed her...I was only trying to snap her neck, but I guess I put too much strength and ended up ripping her head off...I did not know I had so much strength though. Oh well, the result is the same. I am the culprit who killed Hashiri-san."

"Wait...is there a reason...why you were looking to commit a murder?" Haru asked.

"I am glad you asked, Ichinose-san."

A malevolent smile appeared on Sumireko's lips as she pulled out the two student profiles she had, hers and Haru's one. she then handed both of them to Haru.

"Take a look at them." the lady said with a gloomy expression.

With some worries, Haru obeyed. At first glance they both looked normal, until she noticed her own SMSL title.

"Wait...I'm supposed to be the SMSL Lucky Student, but my profile said that I'm...the Super Middle School Level Survivor!?"

"Uh, you seem honestly surprise. Well, since I am in the same situation as you, I suppose I can believe you on that point, that you did not know." Sumireko said.

As she said that, Haru noticed Hanabusa's SMSL title and was shocked.

"But...you too...you're supposed to be the SMSL Lady, then why...?"

"Why do I have the same title as you? Good question. I suppose that we both are in competition for the SHSL Survivor title. I was looking forward a murder, I was planning to kill you, with the object I found. But Hashiri-san saw me, and I did not want to take the chance that she would guess I was the culprit, so I killed her instead, and intended to win this class trial so you would be executed."

"But you failed, and you'll be the one executed, since you admit to be the blackened." Tokaku replied.

"Well, in that case, all I have to do is make sure you would not be able to vote for me, right?"

Suddenly, Sumireko's skin on her limbs teared off, revealing that both her arms and legs were robotic, much to everyone's surprise.

"You...you're a cyborg!?" Tokaku exclaimed.

"My body had some altercation, to make myself stronger, because I am the queen, therefore I have to be the strongest. These are the object I have found and that Hashiri-san had seen."

"Queen...? So it was you, the Queen Bee!" Shiena suddenly exclaimed. "You admitted to know the chairwoman...both of you...you are part of the same clan! She's the mastermind, and you're the traitor!"

"Uh? You seem to know a lot, Kenmochi-san. Where did you learn those information?"

"It's…it's the USB keys…those I received…as my second and third motives…Wait! You know…about the content of the USB keys, don't you!? You…you're the one who made them! You did this…to trick me. Because you're Monokuma's ally!"

"Oh my, you are close from the truth, but also far from it. Allow me to explain it." Sumireko began to say. "I am not the Queen Bee. Class Black is a event made especially for the Queen Bee, it is her initiation to be part of her clan. The chairwoman is part of this clan, but I am not. And the Queen Bee is none other then Ichinose-san!"

"Ichinose!? What...what does it mean?" Tokaku asked, confused.

"I...I'm sorry, Tokaku-san, but...it's the truth. But Haru has nothing to do with the killing game, I swear! I didn't know it would be like that, I never want it!"

"Don't try to lie, Ichinose-san. You knew, I am aware of your existence and about Class Black since I am a child. I always planned to participate, to defeat you, but I know that this killing game is certainly not what Yuri-sensei planned. She is not that kind of twisted person, she would not cause any unnecessary death. Someone had compromise Class Black. I do not know who it is, but one of you must be the traitor. This is why I want you all dead, so Banba-san's death would be avenge!"

"Banba? You're doing this to avenge her?" Tokaku asked.

"Kind of. At first I intended to win against Ichinose-san by being one of the two last survivors, with Banba-san. This is why I never intended at first to commit a murder, because Banba-san would have died to if I had succeeded. But since she is...dead, I have no reason to wait anymore. I will kill all of you and win the game!"

"Oy, you can't. It's time to vote..." Monokuma suddenly said.

"There is no rule against committing murder during the class trial. As long as no one had voted for me, if they died, then I cannot be voted guilty, so therefore, I win."

"It's true, but...ah, you know what? Do what you want. I don't care. If you're able to do it, then it's ok." Monokuma said. "It's not like you had interrupted the class trial right at the beginning."

Haru knew the situation was catastrophic. Sumireko was about to kill them all, and Monokuma didn't have the intention to stop her. And with her cybernetic limbs, she might be able to indeed kill them all. But Haru refused to give up. There must have something she could do to stop this massacre. Sumireko was about to kill them to avoid them voting for her. But what if they have no reason to vote for her anymore? If they don't vote for her, they would most likely be executed, but what if...she wasn't the culprit? What if...there was no culprit at all? She then glanced at the coffin that was half-closed, only showing Nio's apparent severed head.

Haru suddenly thought of an improbable theory. But she had to say it, maybe it would stop Sumireko and brought them some time.

"Wait!" Haru suddenly shouted. "What if...Nio wasn't really dead?"

"What...? I already told you, I killed her. Are you saying I am lying?" Sumireko replied.

"No, Haru thinks you were honest. But it doesn't mean that you could have mistakenly think you had killed her, but in fact, she is still alive!"

"Ridiculous! How anyone could mistake a decapitated corpse? There is now way that Hashiri-san is still alive, she cannot have fake her death!"

Haru tried to think of a way Nio could have fake her death and still be alive. Even if herself found it hard to believe, it was the only thing she could do to stop Sumireko's homicidal madness. Haru then remembered some details they have discovered thanks to the treasure hunt.

"Nio's talent...she was the SMSL Illusionist. So it's possible that with that type of talent, she could have fake her death with some kind of illusion." Haru said.

"You really are desperate...I told you, I ripped her head off with my own hands, I feel it, it cannot be an illusion!"

"But you said it yourself, that what you wanted was to snap her neck, but instead you ripped off her head. You were surprised by your strength. Haru thinks that you were right to be surprise, because it's not possible for you to ripped a human part, especially not if you only uses the strength requires to snap a neck. Therefore, you can't have ripped off her head, it was an illusion."

"Then what did I ripped off and mistook as Hashiri-san!?"

Haru tried to find an answer to that. At first she didn't really think that her theory was right, but know, she had a doubt. She then remembered something she had find in the cafeteria and understood what could have happened.

"I get it! Nio, she...she could have use a plushie and use some kind of illusion to make it look like herself in Hanabusa-san's eyes. This is why you ripped her head off, because it wasn't a human part, but something way softer, a plushie! That would explain the stuffing I found near the corpse."

"So that trash is maybe still alive and tricked us all...why?" Tokaku asked.

"Isn't obvious? She's the traitor we're looking for, there's no way Monokuma would have been tricked by that." Shiena said.

"You are insinuating...that I mistook a plushie for Hashiri-san!? Do you have any other proof?"

"Actually, yes. Remember when Shiena-chan said she saw Nio going inside the Art Club not so long before the body discovery? How is it possible if like you said, you had killed her during nighttime?" Haru replied.

"What!?" Sumireko exclaimed. "Then...Kenmochi-san must have been lying..."

"Why would I lie if I'm not the culprit?" the brunette said.

"Indeed, it wouldn't make sense." Tokaku concurred.

"That's because...you didn't kill her like you think you had. And I think the fact Nio went to the Art Club is another proof that she fake her death. After she used an illusion on you, she left the cafeteria, went to the Art Club, to retreve something to fake her death. Fake blood. Like, red paint. She let the decapitated plushie in the cafeteria and went back to put red paint on it, and used the same illusion on everyone went we discovered the 'corpse'."

"I...I cannot believe that! It is foolish! I will not accept this as the truth!" Hanabusa protested.

"Then why you don't have any blood on you? Ripping someone's head, it should have splash a lot of blood on you, on your clothes. Unless...you had changed your outfit?" Haru replied.

Sumireko remained quiet, with a shocked expression. So Haru was right. Sumireko didn't change clothes and had no blood on her, therefore, it was impossible that she had committed murder.

"Nio...must be still alive. And it's possible Monokuma knows it. This is why...he wasn't oppose about Hanabusa-san killing everyone because no actual murder occurred!"

"So...Hashiri must be an ally of Monokuma." Tokaku concluded.

"And the traitor!" Shiena added.

Haru wasn't sure if Nio was really on Monokuma's side, but she was now convinced that she still alive.

"Nio! Enough with your game! It's time for you stop stop playing dead!"

After few seconds, the coffin opened. What they thought to be a corpse suddenly rose up, standing.

"It seems that I've no reason to continue anymore. Good job Haru-chan, I'm indeed still alive." Nio said "It seems that I'd been careless when I spread the red paint, I forgot to cover a piece of stuffing."

"You...no, it is impossible! I...I killed you! I saw it from my own eyes, I...grabbed your neck and...ripped your head off!" Sumireko shouted with consternation.

"Haha, that wasn't me! I was hidden under a table, and witnessed you brutally decapitating that poor innocent teddy bear. If I'd enough time, I would have use a real corpse, probably Kirigaya-san's since we are both the same height, to fake my death in a better way, but I'd not expected you to try to kill me during the treasure hunt. Monokuma, why not showing them the crime scene?"

"Eh, sure, why not." Monokuma said, before his figure disapeared from the screen.

On the screen, it showed the cafeteria, with the floor covered with red paint and a decapitated plushie, Hitsugi's teddy bear, was lying in it. It was there that they all "saw" Nio's supposed corpse.

"No...it cannot be true..." Sumireko mumbled.

"Then, you really are the traitor, you're clearly working with Monokuma!" Tokaku accused.

"Uh, am I? Hey, Haru-chan, do you think I'm the traitor? Why not expressing your opinion about it." Nio said with a cheerful smile.

Haru thought about it. Everything seemed to point out to Nio being the traitor. But somehow, she had the feeling that it wasn't the case.

"Hanabusa-san...you said that it was impossible for the chairwoman to be the mastermind, right?" Haru asked.

"Uh? Oh, yes..."

"And you know about the Queen Bee, my clan...do you know what is Nio's relation to the chairwoman?"

"Um, I never met Hashiri-san before, but...I know she's working for Yuri-sensei, so she's most likely...her worker bee. Oh, I see! If Yuri-sensei wouldn't have done that, then there is no reason for her worker bee to be an ally of Monokuma. So Hashiri-san cannot be the traitor..."

"What?! It doesn't even make any sense!? Then why Hashiri is working for Monokuma?" Shiena asked.

"There is only one reason she would. If her queen is in danger. Is it not right, Hashiri-san?" Sumireko asked.

Suddenly, a sadden expression appeared on Nio's face.

"Could it be...the chairwoman is held as an hostage by Monokuma?" Haru asked.

"...yes. I admit that I'm the ringleader, that I helped Monokuma, to protect Yuri-san. I'm not the traitor you're looking for, and I'm not even sure there is one...not as far as I know."

"Yes, there is a traitor. And it's not Hashiri-san." Monokuma revealed. "And the traitor is one of you, she isn't dead."

Haru couldn't believe it. So either Tokaku, Shiena or Sumireko was the traitor? She couldn't believe one of them was an ally of Monokuma.

"Well, since you know I'm not dead, I can share with you the clue I found. I'm not allowed to tell you the truth, but I hope this clue will make you understand it." Nio said, as she handed a thin black book with Hope's Peak Academy's logo on the cover to Haru. "Since you're the one who understand that I was still alive, I'll let you the honor to read it."

Haru took the book and quickly browsed it, discovering that it was everyone's student profile.

"It's just like the book Isuke-san found during the third investigation, but this one is black and...uh?" Haru said, before she started to read out loud what she saw that was odd. "Azuma Tokaku, ...SHSL Assassin. Inukai Isuke, SHSL Kick-boxer. Kaminaga Kouko, SHSL...Class representative? Kirigaya Kitsugi, SHSL Toxicologist. Kenmochi Shiena, SHSL...Dramatist. Sagae Haruki, SHSL Street Fighter. Shuto Suzu, SHSL Gamer. Takechi Otoya, SHSL...Scissorer? Namatame Chitaru, SHSL Fencer. Hashiri Nio, SHSL Illusionist, Hanabusa Sumireko, SHSL ...Tea Sommelier? Banba Mahiru, SHSL Seamstress. And Ichinose Haru, SHSL Survivor."

"Wait...why do we have SHSL title instead of SMSL one?" Tokaku asked.

"...SHSL Dramatist...that's...the title I hoped for." Shiena said. "This is...our Hope's Peak student profile...we are accepted to Hope's Peak? Even if we never attend Myojo?"

"SHSL...Tea Sommelier? Ichinose-san...is the one who is the SHSL Survivor? How...is that...possible? I...failed? No, somehow, tea sommelier...seems fine. Why...argh...ARGH!" Sumireko suddenly groaned in pain, before grabbing her head. "I...I remember...Mahiru, Shinya...I...we all loved each other. I gave up my...ambition...to be with her. I had realized what was my true dream...thanks to her, but now...she is dead. I...I have no purpose anymore! I am...no queen...anymore."

Sumireko suddenly fell on her knees, with tears coming from her eyes. She looked dead inside, her expression was emotionless and she seemed disconnect from reality.

"Hanabusa-san!?" Haru exclaimed, worried.

"Oh, it seems Hanabusa-chan understood the truth, but it was too hard for her to bear. I don't think she's in the right state to share her discovery. Is anyone else understood the truth?"

"Uh...I'm not sure it's possible, but...I've found a weird picture. I thought it was just a photoshop, but know...I'm not sure." Shiena said, before showing a picture.

Haru blenched. It was a picture of every Class Black's students, wearing the official Myojo's school uniform, and there was a man with them.

"It's...it looks like a class picture...of us...attending Myojo Academy...and this man...isn't Mizorogi Ataru, the one who was supposed to be our teacher?" Haru reacted.

"Looks like he was really our teacher somehow." Tokaku said.

Haru thought about all the clues they found during the treasure hunt, trying to figure out what was the truth Nio was talking about and that left Sumireko in such a mess. Suddenly, she understood what was the most likely truth.

"There's proof we had been Myojo's students and actual classmates, proof that some weird event had happened at Myojo, regarding us, but somehow, none of us remembered it. But now there's Hanabusa-san telling her she remembered everything...Haru can only think of one possibilities. We...all suffer from amnesia!"

Following this statement, everyone remained quiet for few seconds, and Nio showed a slight satisfied smile.

"You mean...we are amnesiac and forgot that we use to attend Myojo and to be classmates?" Shiena asked, confused.

"How is that...possible?" Tokaku reacted.

"Haru doesn't know, but...it's the only logical explanation. Isn't that right, Nio?"

"Well, since you guessed right and Hanabusa-chan clearly got her memory back, I don't see any reason to keep it a secret anymore. Yes, you are all amnesiac. We used to attend Myojo Academy and be classmates...for almost a year."

"A...year? We...forgot an entire year!?" Shiena exclaimed.

"Oy...why do you remember all of this, Hashiri!?" Tokaku asked aggressively.

"Because I don't suffer from amnesia. My memory is intact. It was easier for Monokuma to control me that way." Nio bitterly replied.

"You...all this time...you helped him making us all kill each other while you knew the truth!" the blue haired girl shouted.

"Tokaku-san, stop! Nio, she...she was blackmailed, the chairwoman was held hostage, she had no choice. I'm sure...she felt bad about doing this to her classmates, it must have been painful for her to have her memory while all her classmates were amnesiac."

Nio didn't reply anything, only showing a gloomy expression.

"So...who's the traitor then?" Shiena asked.

"It must be...one of us...except Nio. But since we're all amnesiac, then...the traitor doesn't remember to be the traitor."

"So any of us except the trash could be the traitor without knowing it..." Tokaku said. "And we have no clues to find out who it is, especially if this person doesn't even know it herself."

Haru wondered if it was really true, that they didn't have any clue about the traitor's identity. It was true that if the traitor didn't remember to be the traitor, this person was unlikely to leave clue while being amnesiac. But maybe they left some clues by accident before they lost their memory. Haru tried to remember anything. Right know, everybody except Nio could be the traitor, even herself, which really worried. She then suddenly remembered a detail that she know realized made no sense.

"Shiena-chan...your second and third motives were on a USB key, right?" Haru asked.

"Yes. What about that?"

"There was some secret data on it, you encrypted them and discovered some information, like the fact there was a traitor, about my clan, about a certain SMSL Despair. Why...those things were hidden in the USB key?"

"I...I'm not quite sure myself. Maybe someone from the outside world put them to help us. Or it was me, before being amnesiac, because I knew what was going to happen and it was the only way to help the class."

"Why Monokuma would have give you your motive on USB key while everyone had regular letter?"

"Uh...I don't know, because I'm a hacker and he wanted to be thematic?"

Haru felt a pain in her heart. She had understood the truth.

"Shiena-chan, I'm sorry...but it makes no sense. No one else had thematic motives other than you. And Haru doesn't see how someone from the outside could have put those info in the USB key...and why Monokuma would have use USB key for your motives while knowing the risk, unless...he was asked to do so. By the traitor. Or directly tricked by traitor. And since those are your motives..."

"Wait...are you...are your claiming that I'm the traitor!?" Shiena shouted.

"Uh...yes. But I'm sure you had your reason, maybe you were blackmailed and you have no choice, or it was your only way to use those USB Key to warn us..."

"No! You don't understand! Why would the traitor warned the others about the traitor? the traitor is really on Monokuma's side! The traitor is the SMSL Despair! The traitor is one the side of despair, an enemy of Hope's Peak Academy, a disgusting and loathing lowlife! And you dared to say it's me!?"

"Uh...well...Haru really doesn't see any other reason why you would have those USB keys..."

"Shut up! I'm not the traitor! I'm not the SMSL Despair! I'm on the side of hope, of Hope's Peak!"

Shiena really looked triggered by Haru's theory. Haru didn't want to believe it was the truth, but it was what made the more sense.

"Upupu, let me confirm the truth with you right know, I think it's the right time." Monokuma said.

Suddenly, a video started on the screen. It started with a man standing on a chair, a noose around his neck, with his hands tied up. Haru recognized him as Mizorogi Ataru. The young man was crying and begging for mercy: " _Please, don't do this! I'm your teacher! I don't know why you're doing this, but please stop!_ "

Suddenly, Haru heard another voice in the video: " _This is…for the sake of despair. Everything that is related to hope…must be destroyed. Because Hope's Peak Academy…is rotten._ "

A person began to approach from Mizorogi. Haru couldn't see their face, but it seemed that they were wearing some kind of mask. The Class Black's teacher suddenly talked: " _You…you are behind all that happened, don't you!? Your classmates…you are behind their disappearance! What did you do to them?! Tell me!_ "

" _Nothing…for now. Let's just say that what I've plan for them will be quite…despair-inducing._ "

" _Please, leave them alone!_ " Mizorogi exclaimed desperately. " _They are your classmates, your friends! Don't hurt them! You can do whatever you want with me, but please spare them! They are my precious students…_ "

" _I can't do that. I've to save them from hope, because I care about them. I care about you too sensei, this is why you deserve to die in despair, knowing that you failed to protect your students…_ "

Suddenly, the traitor kicked the chair. Mizorogi fell from it and the noose around his neck began to strangle him. Desperately the teacher tried to grab the rope to loose it, in vain. His eyes were injected with blood and his face showed a pained expression due to the lack of oxygen. After few seconds of agony, he finally died. His body remained inert, hanging. Suddenly, the murderer turned back, facing the camera. Haru discovered that this person was wearing a Monokuma mask and a Myojo Academy's uniform.

Haru was horrified by what she had witnessed. This person who killed their teacher was most likely the traitor they were looking for. She even more sad because this video confirmed that not only Mizorogi wasn't an ally of Monokuma, but he really care for them until the end.

"That uniform...so it was you, Hashiri!?" Shiena accused furiously.

"Hey, should I remind you that we were all wearing a Myojo's school uniform when we were classmates?" Nio argued back.

Before Haru could think more about that, the traitor approached from the camera, and grabbed their mask. They removed it, revealing their face. Even if Haru had a doubt about this person, it was still quite heartbroken to have the proof that she was right, especially since she didn't want it to be the truth. Everybody looked surprised, even Nio. The identity of the traitor was truly something unexpected.

Facing the camera,there was Shiena, wearing the official Myojo's uniform, gazing the camera with a cold and gloomy expression. The video then suddenly ended and Monokuma came back on the screen.

"...what?" was all that Nio was able to say.

The brunette's face became livid. She was gazing at the screen with incomprehension in her eyes, like she wasn't able to fully understand what she had just witnessed.

"No...that...can't be true. It must be...some kind of photoshop. I can't me...the one who killed him...right? I'm not...on the side of despair. I'm not an enemy of Hope's Peak. I would never...turn my back on hope! You have to believe me! This video is fake!" Shiena nervously protested.

"No, this video is 100% real." Monokuma confirmed.

"Liar!" the brunette screamed.

"You...you are the traitor...because of you...Mahiru, Shinya...they died!" Sumireko suddenly shouted with rage.

Suddenly, the cyborg rushed towards Shiena with clear killing intent.

"Stop!" Haru let out.

Tokaku jumped above her desk and managed to stop Sumireko. But the latter had already raised her fist to punch Shiena, but thanks to the blue haired girl, she couldn't punch at full strength Shiena. The cyborg's fist simply brushed Shiena's face, slightly injuring her left cheek and making her glasses fell on the floor. The hacker then showed a pain expression, but it didn't seem to be because of Sumireko's attack. It was like she was afflicted by a mental pain.

"Don't interfere! She is the one responsible for everything, let me kill her!" Sumireko shouted.

"We don't know her reasons yet! And she's amnesiac, she doesn't remember. It wouldn't be fair to kill her without at least letting her explain herself." Haru replied.

"Shinya's death was unfair!"

"Oh, the only person who know how to escape the school are myself and the traitor. I'll leave you with this info, feel free to do what you want, I'm done with you. The killing game is over. Sayonara! Upupu." those were the last words Monokuma said before disappeared, probably for good.

Sumireko took a deep breath to calm down, and went back to her seat.

"Since she is the only person now who know how to leave, I guess we can wait before killing her." the cyborg said reluctantly.

"Shiena-chan, please...Haru is sure you aren't a bad person, that you have some kind of...reason, to do this. Please explain to us."

"Or just tell us how to leave this place." Tokaku added.

"If you do so, I will not torture you to death. I will just kill you quickly." Sumireko said.

"Hanabusa-san, don't!"

"Hum, weirdly I've the same opinion then Haru-chan. There's no way Kenmochi-san could be that kind of murderous freak." Nio commented.

As they continued to argue, Haru noticed that the brunette looked too calm. Shiena suddenly recovered her glasses and put them back. The left glass was cracked. The hacker then wiped the blood coming from her wound, leaving a red mark on her left cheek. An insane laugh suddenly came out from Shiena mouth, before she suddenly went back to being unnaturally calm.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself, now that I've recovered my memory. I'm Kenmochi Shiena, the Super Middle School Level Despair, and the one known as the traitor."

"She...she admitted it!" Sumireko exclaimed.

"No, Shiena-chan...you must have a reason, right? You can't be serious..."

"I'm afraid that I'm serious, Ichinose. I'm really the traitor. Everything I said in that video are my true thoughts."

"Haru can't believe that, it must be..."

"Ichinose-san! Kenmochi-san herself admitted it, stop trying to find her excuses. So, Kenmochi-san, how do we get out?" Sumireko asked.

"Uh...not telling you! Even if you torture me, I won't tell you anything. I'll in fact enjoy the despairful pain you will inflict me and the despair you'll feel after you lose control and kill me, trapping you here forever." Shiena replied with a twisted expression.

"I do not care, I just want you dead. I have no reason to go outside now that I had lost everything."

"Oy, I've reason to leave, don't be selfish! I've to go rescue the chairwoman! Don't you care about her too!?" Nio suddenly reacted.

"I...but...!" the cyborg mumbled.

"Oh yes, please continue, the despair on your face...is so arousing! I'm starting to get wet." the hacker said lustfully.

"What the...Kenmochi-san? You..." Nio began to say.

"You see, she is crazy." Sumireko commented. "We should just kill her and try to find a way out ourselves. Now that Monokuma left the game and with the traitor dead, we should have a chance to escape."

Haru couldn't believe that this despaired-lustful and twisted person was really Shiena. She always had viewed the brunette as a classmate and even a friend, someone she could get along with, someone she had faith in. She couldn't simply not believe that the person she knew all that time wasn't real, she was convinced that there must have some explanation. This is what Haru chose to believe.

"Shiena-chan...please, come back to your senses. It isn't you. Haru has faith in you, in the person you were during the killing game. Haru knows you're a good person, you were trying so hard to find the traitor to save us all, you had a dream to become a dramatist and to go to Hope's Peak, because you had hope..."

"Sh...Shut up! I hate Hope's Peak Academy and hope! Hope is disgusting, hope is fake, hope gives false expectation! Hope's Peak is rotten, Hope's Peak destroy my dream, only despair is truth...only despair...can save us all!"

"You're wrong! Hope is what keep people on the right track, what help them to achieve their dreams, to remain true to themselves. Despair only stop them from accomplishing what they want, despair is what destroy dreams, not hope! Shiena-chan, it's the despair that ruined your dreams, not hope. don't lose hope, have faith in yourself. Even if you can't, Haru will have faith for you."

"You...you stupid optimistic faithful idiot! You disgust me, you and your positiveness, it's not normal to be so positive all the time! Leave me alone with your fucking faith, I hate it too, I hate y...uh...what...WHAT THE HELL!?"

The same painful expression she had sooner appeared on Shiena face. The brunette suddenly grabbed her head and uttered a scream of agony.

"I...I remember...everything. I'm really...the traitor...and the SMSL Despair."

"You...already admitted it." Sumireko replied, somewhat confused by her change of behavior.

"That...wasn't me, it was...my despairful self. But...all I said...is what I truly believe. I hate hope and Hope's Peak, but...I never wished to cause so many death! I'm sorry, I...I didn't want that!" Shiena exclaimed before she started to cry.

"Shiena-chan, please calm down...Haru trusts you. Please, explain to us what happened to you during the year we had lost our memory."

"I...I discovered...the truth about Hope's Peak Academy, and...I couldn't accept it. Then  _she_ made me watch...some kind of...brainwashing video...to make me fall into despair. And my brainwashed self...erase her memory...so she could feel more despair...make me fall into despair again."

"Brainwashing? Uh, that's something I can believe. I really see no other reason for Kenmochi-san's odd behavior." Nio said.

"You really believe that sci-fi thing?" Sumireko asked.

"Hanabusa-chan...you are a sci-fi thing."

"Shiena-chan...please, tell us who is this person who did this to you."

"It was...It was...ARGH!" Shiena groaned in pain. "I...I can't say it...thinking about this person...is causing me too much despair...I won't be able to control myself anymore."

"Ah, don't force yourself!" Haru replied, worried.

"I'm still...partially brainwashed. But...the time I spent amnesiac...allow me to recover a little...but I don't think it will be permanent. Eventually, the despair will overtake me fully and I'll become definitevely the SMSL Despair. This is why...I'll tell you how to escape, and after that...you'll have to kill me."

Haru suddenly rushed towards the hacker and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Never! We won't kill you! It's not your fault if you're brainwashed!" Haru protested.

"Ichinose, you have no idea what atrocities I'm capable of! I can't...bear this guilt, I don't want to cause more death! So you have to..."

"No! Haru has faith in you, and Haru will save you! You may have lose hope, but you can still have faith in yourself!"

Shiena looked like she wanted to protect, but she said nothing at first, only sighing at Haru's innocence.

"You...you really are inhumanly optimistic. Fine, I'll show you the exit. But if I became dangerous, kill me."

"Haru won't kill you. Haru will make sure you won't be dangerous by saving you. Because you're my classmate and my friend."

The brunette remained shocked for a moment, before a soft smile appeared on her lips.

"...your optimism is really sickening...anyway, follow me, I'll show you the exit."

* * *

Shiena had showed them the secret elevator hidden in the library. After they went down with it, the group arrived in front of the exit.

"I...I've to warn you. The outside world...isn't like you remember it. It changed during the year you had forgot. The Super High School Level Despair caused a tragedy that made the world fall into despair. People outside...are afflicted by the same condition as me." Shiena said.

"So there is a source for all this despair...someone who messed up with people's brain to turn them into twisted individual...like you. Whoever is this SHSL Despair, them and their followers, I will destroy them!" Sumireko declared. "Even if I have to sacrifice my humanity!"

"You already sacrificed some of your humanity by becoming a cyborg to achieve more power." Nio replied. "Me, I'm already despaired enough, nothing can be worst. All I've to do is find Yuri-san."

"I just want to stay with Ichinose and try to recover my lost memory." Tokaku said.

"Tokaku-san...Haru also wants to stay with you and remember our time spent together at Class Black."

"You two were dating." Nio suddenly said.

"What!?" Tokaku exclaimed.

"It's true." Shiena confirmed.

"Ah...that explains...Haru's feelings. Then, can we be on first-name base now? Can I call you Tokaku and you...Haru?"

"Uh...yes...Haru." the blue haired girl replied while blushing.

Haru felt her heart racing when she heard Tokaku call by her name, and she felt even more excited to know she was in fact dating Tokaku. She was even happy to know it and hoped even more to remember their missing year.

"Haru also wants to find people who aren't despaired and fight against despair! Haru wants to find a cure for the brainwashing, to save Shiena-chan."

"You...stop that...I don't deserve it." Shiena replied, flustered. "A-Anyway, I'll activate the door. Prepare yourself...for the worst."

Suddenly, the door began to slowly and loudly opened. Haru couldn't help but grabbing Tokaku's hand, to comfort herself. Only five of them had survived, but at least it was more then two survivors. As long as they were still people alive, there was still hope for a better future. Those were the thought Haru had as the door opened towards the despaired outside world.

[OFFICIAL ALTERNATE END]

* * *

[ _Bonus scene if you have already completed the game and seen the original end_ ]

"Was the simulation to your liking?"

Shiena put the electronic helmet on the coffee table of the sitting room, before facing the person, or rather, the thing, that had just spoke to her. It was Avatar, the AI she had made, that was currently under it's Suzu's persona.

"Meh, this one was too hopeful for my liking. I prefer by far the route where I was killed by Kirigaya, or the one where I got executed. It was more...despair-inducing." the SMSL Despair replied. "But I must admit you did a great job with this simulator. It was so despairful to have to spend time with my deceased classmates, I loved it. I'm surprise to see that Shuto's actions always depends of Kaminaga-san."

The brunette changed her pajama for her Myojo's school uniform, before taking her camera and turning it on, and then put her on the coffee table.

"Well, enough with playing with my virtual deceased classmates and let's play with the real and alive ones," the hacker said. "Avatar, switch to my dear Otoya."

"Yes!" the AI said, before taking the serial killer's persona. "Hi, Shiena-chan! What are you doing to do today?"

"Just a little video-message for a really annoying group of hope maniacs. Now that the world had recovered from despair, it's time to start a new, even more despair-inducing, Tragedy." Shiena replied as she put a Monokuma helmet on her head. "And sending a message to our old classmates."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So all those alternate class trials were just all part of despair!Shiena's virtual reality. Ok.
> 
> This is the other end of Akuma no Ronpa and the only route other than the original story that goes to chapter 6. The reason why Shiena didn't fully revert to her SHSL Despair self is that in this route, Shiena isn't as desperate as she was in the original story, so her new memory during her amnesia have enough strength to fight her brainwashing, but not completely.
> 
> So, do you think the route were Kouko killed Otoya (and with this ending) would have been better than the original story? Which routes have you preferred? For the moment will be completed,but maybe I'll make one last chapters about the other alternate end. Just let me know if you're still interest and don't forget to check Refutation Story of Devil to learn more about what happened before Akuma no Ronpa!

**Author's Note:**

> "Super Middle School Level" would probably be "Potential Ultimate" if I use the english term.
> 
> So what do you think about this crossover? Should I continued?


End file.
